Five takeaways from the Dorset debate

General election candidates in Dorset have gone up against one another in a live debate hosted by BBC Radio Solent.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the conversation.

1. Action on climate change

Conservative Tobias Ellwood, who represents Bournemouth East, called it "the biggest threat we face", adding that while renewables had jumped to 50% since 2010, he would like to see "a five-year target".

The Green Party candidate for Dorset South, Catherine Bennett, said the Insulation Scheme should get under way "street by street" and that the transport system needed to be "altered completely".

Labour's Jessica Toale, for Bournemouth West, said the party had committed to setting up state-owned renewable company GB Energy, which "will bring down bills and create jobs" and said she also campaigned for "tougher sanctions on sewage dumping".

Reform UK's Andrei Dragotoniu, who represents Poole, said the party did not believe net zero was a solution and queried what happens to the "very toxic materials" in solar panels at the end of their life cycle.

Vikki Slade, Liberal Democrat for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said her party wanted to do a "really strong programme" around insulation of the poorest homes, improve windfall tax, build new zero-carbon homes, develop three new national parks and resolve sewage spills.

2. Just Stop Oil's Stonehenge protest

The candidates gave their views on the Just Stop Oil protest, which saw orange powder paint sprayed on to part of Stonehenge by activists.

Lib Dem Vikki Slade said "we've got to bring people back with us" but "actions like that mean people won't come with us".

The Green Party's Ms Bennett said both "headline grabbing" and persuasion through "gentle campaigning" were needed.

Labour candidate Ms Toale said she was worried the actions of Just Stop Oil protesters "divides our country, rather than bringing it together around a really important issue".

Conservative Mr Ellwood said "extremes such as this" lead to "losing people" and said he was pleased that "people stepped in" at Stonehenge.

Reform UK's Mr Dragotoniu said he would like to see "more action" taken against Just Stop Oil and that he did not support their actions.

3. Knife crime and safety of women and girls

Ms Toale said she had been campaigning "quite heavily" on the country-wide issue of knife crime and said Labour planned to get 13,000 police officers back on the streets, increase sentences for knife possession and set up a programme to prevent young people from falling into crime.

Lib Dem Vikki Slade said more police officers were needed on the streets and they should have a "trauma-informed way" of dealing with victims and be "vetted properly" for the safety of women and girls.

Mr Ellwood said the financial crisis had led to less officers on patrol, which he said the Conservatives were reversing. He said Bournemouth town centre was an attraction with a "vibrant nightlife" but safety solutions, such as closing parks at night, were needed. He said tackling knife crime required extra policing and engaging with young people in schools.

Ms Bennett said she had discovered through her conversations with teenagers that some carried knives out of fear and others because it gave them "a thrill". She said the Green Party would focus on "getting to the root causes" of the issue and would put £3bn into children's services.

Reform UK's Mr Dragotoniu said he would want to see more officers hired and "look at who we hire and the training they receive". He said the party wanted to understand the reasons behind knife possession but would still put "tougher sentencing" in place for it and invest in youth centres.

4. The NHS

Ms Toale said Labour was "not promising change overnight" but wanted to deliver 40,000 extra hospital appointments every week, 700,000 extra dental appointments, reform dental contracts and "focus on prevention" in the long run. She said the party wanted to make sure the NHS was "fit for the 21st Century" with the latest technology and would "reset" the relationship with junior doctors.

Mr Dragotoniu said Reform UK would first address staff retention and allow all doctors to pay no tax for three years. He said his party would offer vouchers for private care to patients on long waiting lists.

Conservative Mr Ellwood said dental care "stopped" during Covid and said his party had come up with a new dental care plan with a mobile capability. He said he would like to see "some form of commitment" from medical staff to "remain loyal to the NHS" before going to the private sector or abroad.

The Lib Dem's Vikki Slade said there was a £9m underspend in the Dorset dental budget that should be used to retain dentists who were leaving the NHS for private practice.

Green candidate Ms Bennett said privatisation was "the biggest problem" and said "lots of money needs to be spent" on the NHS to make it "properly the NHS again".

5. Immigration

Mr Dragotoniu said Reform UK did not want to see "any illegal immigration at all", adding people should not receive "any kind of benefits until they have been here legally and worked legally for five years". He said he would like to see "realistic numbers" rather than "hundreds of thousands every year".

Green Ms Bennett said the UK needed immigration to "fill all the jobs and specific professions". She said legal safe routes were necessary, adding that "nobody is happy about" the Bibby Stockholm, which houses migrants off the Dorset coast. She said Brexit had "messed up the opportunity" to negotiate with other countries and that "sensible discussion" was needed about refugees.

Lib Dem Vikki Slade said if there was upskilling of people in the UK, the numbers of immigrants on health and social care visas would "come down naturally". She said "safe and legal routes" and rebuilding a relationship with Europe were needed.

Conservative Mr Ellwood said sending immigrants back to France was "simply mad" and the UK needed to "work with international allies" to recognise where people were coming from.

Ms Toale said Labour would set up a secure border command for "more intelligence sharing" and would be "cracking down on criminal gangs" while ensuring people did not risk their lives crossing the channel. She said the party wanted to rehire 1,000 case workers at the Home Office to assess asylum claims within two weeks.