Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been warned that his performance in the latest leadership debate is "not a good look" for prospective voters, as the Tory leader took to the stage last night.
In the first head to head debate against Labour's Sir Keir Starmer on ITV, Sunak gave a fevered performance and was repeatedly scolded by moderator Julie Etchingham for interrupting.
Amongst the many claims made during the debate, Sunak accused Starmer of "saddling up taxes" and having "no big plans" for the country, with Starmer blasting Sunak on the Conservatives' 14 year "failure" on the NHS and migration.
Analysing the performances on GB News, Political Commentator John Oxley claimed Sunak was "more aggressive" in comparison to his Labour counterpart, and was "domineering" throughout the debate.
Rishi Sunak gave a fiesty performance during Tuesday night's leaders debate, and was repeatedly scolded for interrupting Starmer
ITV
A YouGov poll carried out after the debate aired showed that viewers were slightly more favourable to Sunak's impassioned performance, as the Tory leader secured 51 per cent of the vote.
Speaking to GB News host Eamonn Holmes, Oxley said: "He was really quite often going over his time limits and and scrapping with the moderator. Sometimes people will interpret that as passion, others might see it as a bit angry."
Noting Starmer's performance, he added: "I think Keir Starmer connected really well with the audience members who asked the question.
"That attempt to do the humanity of politics, Starmer probably had the edge, and that will certainly help him with some voters as well."
The Conservative and Labour leaders went head to head in ITV's televised debate on Tuesday night
ITV
Analysing their key points of play, Oxley highlighted Sunak's desire to remind the audience of the "£2,000 tax figure" that could possibly affect voters, and Starmer's strategy was to highlight the "past record of the Conservatives over the last 14 years".
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When asked if Oxley saw the head to head between the leaders as a "scrap or a debate", the commentator admitted it was "ill-tempered".
He told GB News: "You can sense there was passion there, maybe a bit of bad blood between the two leaders. It wasn't as cheery as some of the debates we've seen in the past on this platform.
"Starmer seemed a little bit more in control of himself in building up to this idea that he's the man of the moment. Sunak looked like the challenger, which is really where the polls put him. Starmer is growing in confidence in the role, and I think that will have come across to many viewers as well."
Noting the polls and the current lead that Labour has, Eamonn asked Oxley what Sunak "could have done differently" in the debate last night to come across better to voters.
John Oxley warned Rishi Sunak that his anger-filled performance was 'not a good look' for voters
GB News
Oxley claimed: "I think he could have probably stuck to his time a bit better. Speaking over people, scrapping with the moderator Julie Etchingham, who's very well respected, isn't the best look. If he'd been a bit more controlled, he'd come across more professional.
"In terms of the content of what he was saying, he hit all the lines he needed to take. The question is, does it make any difference? Five years ago, in the same debate, the audience said that Jeremy Corbyn came out slightly ahead four weeks later when we had the election."
Suggesting the possible election strategy for Starmer, he continued: "Don't make any mistakes. Don't give the Conservatives any ammunition and look as good as you can.
"But really, don't take any risks, because in a debate like that, if you're the person in front, you're the one with everything to lose and not a huge amount to gain."
