UK's Sunak and Starmer struggle to be heard as noisy protest mars their final election debate
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer have struggled to get their messages across to voters as protesters threatened to drown out their final televised debate of the U.K. election campaign
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer struggled to get their messages across to voters on Wednesday, as protesters threatened to drown out their final televised debate of the U.K. election campaign.
As the two politicians vying to become Britain's leader after the July 4 election faced off live on the BBC, indistinguishable but loud shouting could be heard from outside the venue at Nottingham Trent University in central England.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the building before the debate.
Host Mishal Husain acknowledged the distraction, which continued as the two politicians traded barbs about ethics, tax and migration. Protest is a part of Britain's democracy, she noted.
The ruckus made for a messy end to a series of debates that have seen Starmer, Sunak and other party leaders appeal directly to voters.
Next week British voters will elect lawmakers to fill all 650 seats in the House of Commons, and the leader of the party that can command a majority — either alone or in coalition — will become prime minister. Labour currently has a double-digit lead in opinion polls over the Conservatives, who have been in power for 14 years under five different prime ministers.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of global elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/