Labour leader Keir Starmer says Rishi Sunak had his “back against the wall” and lied during last night's election TV debate
In the debate, the Conservative leader repeatedly claimed a Labour government would mean £2,000 of tax rises per working household
Starmer claims Sunak was "desperately lashing out and resorting to lies", adding that Labour wouldn't raise taxes for "working people"
But Conservatives insist the prime minister was not lying - and a party spokesperson says Labour is "throwing stones from a house made from the thinnest of glass"
BBC Verify has analysed the costings and found Sunak's claim risks misleading people
Both Labour and the Tories have pledged not to increase the rate of income tax, National Insurance and VAT; full manifestos haven't been published yet
Sunak said "independent Treasury officials" had costed Labour's policies - but a top civil servant earlier said they were "not involved" in the calculation of the £2,000 figure
Image source, ITVLabour leader Keir Starmer says the election on 4 July is about a choice between "chaos" with the Conservatives or turning the page with Labour.
Starmer says he has a practical plan for the country and the party is "back in service of working people".
First up is opening statements. Keir Starmer is going first.
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
What could be a really important moment in this general election campaign is under way.
The parties definitely think it’s important and have sent some of their biggest names to the spin room in the hope of framing how you, the voting public, interpret what both leaders say tonight.
I’ll be providing analysis as the debate progresses. Buckle up.
James Gregory
Live reporter
Image source, ITV/PAThe opening credits are rolling, the music is playing and the stage is set.
We're about to hear from the two men who want you to make them the next prime minister.
Over the next hour and 10 minutes, we'll see Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer going head-to-head on the many of the issues which will decide this election.
We'll bring you updates throughout ITV's debate with our political correspondents and BBC Verify unpicking what it all means.
Afterwards in a separate programme on the same channel, we'll be hearing from the leaders of the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party.
Stay tuned.
Chris Mason
Political editor
This is the first big set-piece moment of this general election campaign involving both candidates to be prime minister.
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer head to head, live, on prime time television.
The prep is done. The shirts ironed. The messages honed.
The choreography screams: this is a big moment.
Senior ITV executives were outside the studio in Salford awaiting the motorcades and then doing the handshakes and greetings with Sunak and Starmer as they arrived in the last half hour.
They appeared chipper as I shouted a question at each of them - but both know how much is at stake.
Nights like tonight can shape a campaign, even change the whole mood of a campaign.
It is also true that often they don’t and there are plenty more TV moments like this, for these two men and others, in the next four weeks.
But this is the first one and the nerves will be jangling for the two men after your support.
In a mere 15 minutes, Labour's Sir Keir Starmer and the Conservatives' Rishi Sunak will face each other in the first head-to-head TV debate of the election.
When is it? 21:00 - and finishes at 22:10
Where can I follow it? The debate itself is on ITV - but we'll have updates and analysis right here
Who's moderating it? Julie Etchingham - she's moderated similar debates in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 elections
Then what? Straight after, we'll hear from other party leaders - we'll bring you all the key lines here
Is this the only TV debate? No - the BBC is hosting a seven-party debate on Friday, and a head-to-head debate later in the campaign - read more here
Starmer v Sunak: What the two leaders want from their first debate
Image source, PA MediaThe Labour Party leader Keir Starmer is hoping to become Britain’s next prime minister.
He first won his seat in Parliament in 2015 after a career as a human rights lawyer and later the UK's director of public prosecutions.
He worked on many high-profile cases, including bringing two of Stephen Lawrence's killers to justice.
He also made it to a barristers’ “Hotty List” while practicing in a London chambers.
And this is perhaps what fuelled the rumour that Starmer was the inspiration for the dashing but stuffy Mark Darcy, a lawyer and love interest in the novel Bridget Jones's Diary.
(Author Helen Fielding has denied the link, but admitted to their likeness when Starmer clashed with Boris Johnson at PMQs.)
Starmer was born in Southwark, south London, and grew up in Surrey. His mum was a nurse, his father a toolmaker and committed socialist.
It was thanks to him that Starmer was named after the first Labour leader, Keir Hardie.
To let off steam, Starmer - an Arsenal season ticket holder - plays football and is known to his squad as “the guy who books the pitch”.
You can read our comprehensive profile of Starmer here.
We'll be hearing about Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer's plans for the country soon - but let's first find out more about them as people...
Image source, Getty ImagesHere he is inspecting a 3D printed model of an All Terrain Armoured Transport Walker from Star Wars
Nineteen months after he was minted as Britain’s new PM, Rishi Sunak faces the fight of his political career to hang on to the top job.
Several Conservative leaders had already been and gone by the time Sunak, at the age of 42 and after just seven years of being an MP, was tasked with steadying the ship.
Now 44, he is the first British-Indian PM, the youngest in modern times and thought to be one of the richest.
The son of first generation immigrants, he grew up in Southampton with his parents. He went to the fee-paying Winchester College, after which he attended Oxford and Stanford universities.
He’s a self-confessed "huge Star Wars fan", with a sizeable collection of lightsabers, and has previously said he wanted to be a Jedi Knight when he grew up.
His wife, Akshata Murty, told last year’s Conservative conference that the PM is also partial to “a good rom com…the cheesier the better”.
He’s teetotal and speaks frequently about keeping fit and healthy, fasting once a week as part of a "balanced lifestyle".
But he does have his vices. Famously a "Coca-Cola addict”, he’s admitted to having "a weakness for sugary things” - and indulging in too many cakes and biscuits while on the campaign trail (us too).
You can read our full profile of Sunak here.
Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent
A little earlier, I poked my head into the ITV studio where tonight’s debate is taking place.
It’s a smart set, the podiums surrounded by strip lights and the slogan “Sunak v Starmer”.
The chairs are laid out ready for a live audience of 80-100 people - some of whom will get the chance to put their questions to the two party leaders in half an hour's time.
Futuristic vibes from ITV's set
Image source, PA MediaJust moments ago, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Rishi Sunak were snapped arriving - separately - at MediaCity in Salford, where tonight's debate is taking place.
Image source, PA Media
Rajini Vaidyanathan
Reporting from the ITV spin room
Hello from the "spin room" at ITV. With less than an hour to go until the debate kicks off, it's pretty unassuming at the moment - lots of grey chairs stacked in lines and a few journalists.
It'll soon be full of representatives from Labour and the Conservatives as they try to convince people that their candidate won the debate.
In many ways tonight isn't just about the hour or so that Sunak and Starmer spend on stage. It's also about the way their performances are written up and interpreted in the wider media - and of course how they go down with the general public.
We've been hearing about the issues which matter most to you in this general election through the BBC's Your Voice, Your Vote. Hundreds of you have already been in touch, with the NHS, climate change, the economy, housing and education the topics mentioned most often so far.
John, 70, from Surrey says: "When am I going to be able to get an NHS dentist?"
Climate change is an important issue for Ollie, 30, from Taunton: "It should be up there with funding the NHS as one of the biggest talking points, as it affects so many areas from pollution in our rivers, fuelling our homes, growing our food, to dealing with household waste."
Marissa, 30, from London, says housing is key: "Despite having a good job and a desire for independence...living with my mother has been a necessity rather than a choice due to the unaffordability of housing in our beloved town. Solutions are urgently needed to ensure that young people can continue to live and thrive in the communities they call home."
While for Josh, 22, from Manchester, it's the economy: "Everyone is struggling to afford basic goods, lots of people are working multiple jobs just to make ends meet."
We aren't able to ask party leaders your questions tonight - since the debate is on ITV - but the BBC is hosting a debate involving seven parties on Friday evening.
Get involved and tell us what stories you want us to cover here.
Earlier we heard from Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty, who said living standards would define the general election campaign.
The charity boss said voters would want both Sunak and Starmer to show they have "a clear plan to get household budgets back on track".
She continued: "Every day at Citizens Advice, we hear harrowing stories of families being forced into impossible choices because their incomes don't cover the runaway cost of living."
She said nearly five million people are trapped in a negative budget at the moment, with many struggling to afford essentials "no matter how many hours they work".
The big focus of this evening is the debate on ITV, but there was plenty of campaigning going on elsewhere earlier. Here's what's been happening.
Image source, PA MediaLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer was out meeting pensioners in a cafe in Bolton, north-west England, alongside shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall
Image source, PA MediaLiberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, with the party's local candidate playing with an oversized Jenga set
Image source, PA MediaHome Secretary James Cleverly was out campaigning in Kent, where he set out plans for a cap on migrant visas
Image source, EPAReform UK leader Nigel Farage had milkshake thrown on him as he campaigned in Clacton, the Essex seat where he has decided to run
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
The head-to-head debate tonight between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer is a big moment, perhaps the biggest of the campaign so far.
The possibility for it to shake up the race for No 10 is both tantalising and petrifying for the leaders and their strategists.
Clearly Sunak has more to gain from tonight’s debate. Whichever polls you choose to look at, it’s evident that the Conservatives are well behind. The prime minister needs to find a way to land his central arguments against Starmer in a way which cuts through to those considering voting for Labour.
He also needs to appeal to voters considering defecting from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats and Reform - a challenge that has intensified since Nigel Farage’s leadership announcement yesterday.
Starmer has much more to lose because of Labour’s poll lead. His team will also be eager for him to find ways to convey more of his backstory, as well as landing blows on Sunak over his record and that of Conservative leaders since 2010.
Tonight's debate is between the two men who might be asked to form a government by the King on 5 July. However, there will also be debates including the other parties (the Lib Dems, the SNP, Reform, the Greens, Plaid Cymru), including on the BBC on Friday evening.
Whatever the state of the race, both leaders have plenty to play for tonight.
Sign up for our Election Essential newsletter to read top political analysis like this.
Image source, .As we count down to tonight's first debate between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer, the BBC's Ellie Price has been asking how they can help or hinder candidates for No 10.
Craig Oliver - a former BBC journalist who went on to run David Cameron's communications team - explains why a party leader ahead in the polls might want to avoid them.
She also gets some insider tips on debate techniques from John McTernan, Tony Blair's former political secretary, which include avoiding "dad jokes".
And all this in just five minutes. You can listen on BBC Sounds here.
During tonight's debate, BBC Verify will be looking at some of the claims and fact-checking them as we go.
We don’t know exactly what will come up but the last few weeks give us a sense of some of the more contentious claims to watch out for. Here’s one from each of the parties.
The Conservatives claim Labour will put taxes up to fill a “£38.5bn blackhole” in their spending plans.
These are Treasury figures but the calculations are based on assumptions from political advisors - and some of them are questionable. For example, the calculations are based on the assumption that doing things through the public sector is always a lot less efficient.
Labour have a questionable claim of their own. They say the Conservatives have made £71bn of unfunded spending commitments.
Again, caution is needed. The Labour calculations include assumptions like the Conservatives scrapping National Insurance, which would cost a whopping £46bn, and inheritance tax. The bill for that would be £7.5bn.
We don’t have the manifestos yet, so we don’t know exactly what the Conservatives will promise.
However, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he won’t be scrapping National Insurance any time soon and that it would only happen when the Treasury could afford it.
It's been yet another busy day on the election campaign trail.
If you're just joining us, here's a quick summary of what's been happening so far:
And remember, the first head-to-head election debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer is taking place at 21:00 on ITV. We'll be bringing you all the latest updates and analysis here, so stay with us.
Chris Mason
Political editor
This is the first set piece moment involving both candidates to be prime minister of this general election campaign.
Debates like this, a fixture in American Presidential campaigns for decades are but adolescent here; it was 14 years ago in 2010 that they first featured.
“I agree with Nick,” the soundbite of the night then from Gordon Brown talking about the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg an illustration of the potential power and stickiness of moments and phrases in this format.
Frankly, though, many pass off without scorching their place in political history. One senior Labour figure told me Sir Keir Starmer was “the country’s former chief prosecutor who will be putting 14 Tory years in the dock.”
“He’s clearly far more comfortable opposing everything, that’s not what leadership is about,” countered a senior Conservative.
Given the Tories continue to be a long way behind Labour in many opinion polls – “it has felt a bit static” one cabinet minister said to me with understatement – a no score draw is no good for Rishi Sunak.
He needs to find a game changer tonight – or at the very least prop up Conservative morale rather than the opposite.