ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/1440/cpsprodpb/B14A/production/_133368354_hero-bbc-nc.pngLeading figures from seven parties have locked horns over the economy, armed forces, NHS, immigration and climate policy, at the BBC's first election debate
Conservative Penny Mordaunt said Rishi Sunak was "completely wrong" to leave D-Day events early - which the PM earlier admitted was a "mistake"
Labour's Angela Rayner clashed with Mordaunt after the latter repeated the contested ยฃ2,000 tax rise claim about Labour
Stephen Flynn from the SNP said Brexit has put up food prices and proved "an unmitigated disaster for the economy"
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper admitted party's decision in 2010 to break its promise and back a tuition fees rise was a "sore subject for us"
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorweth and Nigel Farage of Reform UK completed the line-up
'Dreadful judgement' - senior politicians react to Sunak's D-Day apology
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Some reaction to bring you now from a number of the other parties, following Rishi Sunak's apology for leaving D-Day events early:Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey echoes Labour's condemnation last night, branding the prime minister's decision to leave early โa dereliction of dutyโ. He says: โOne of the greatest privileges of the office of prime minister is to be there to honour those who served, yet Rishi Sunak abandoned them on the beaches of Normandy"
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accuses Sunak of similar, saying he "could not even be bothered to attend the international event on Omaha Beach"
And after calling out the prime minister last night, Labour's shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth has responded to Sunak's apology this morning - saying the PM chose to "prioritise his own vanity TV appearances over our veterans". He adds: "It is yet more desperation, yet more chaos, and yet more dreadful judgement from this out of touch prime minister"
ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/6d902ba2-7c2f-40c0-b835-9626c185fc2a.jpgichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/0dbca722-202e-42e4-8498-2ab8ac292418.jpgReform UK's Nigel Farage was the final politician taking part to arrive
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Penny Mordaunt has the task of representing the Conservative Party
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Plaid Cymru has sent their leader Rhun ap Iorwerth to the debate
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Labour's Angela Rayner
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The SNP's Stephen Flynn ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/47bec644-5dd8-40f0-b460-d5ff3a4bcaf4.jpg
The Green Party's Carla Denyer
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Daisy Cooper from the Liberal Democratsichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/91931f33-a46c-4b2b-a083-397664e1234f.jpgThe first question โ about defence in the context of the D-Day anniversary โ could not have been better suited to the story of the day.
So it was Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, who threw the issue onto the Conservatives.
He said Rishi Sunakโs โdreadfulโ decision to leave early showed โwe actually have a very unpatriotic prime ministerโ.
Nigel Farage from Reform UK:
He says the army has shrunk and recruitment is "catastrophic".
Farage says instead of the Tories' national service policy we need to recruit 30,000 into the army full-time.
He also criticised Rishi Sunak for leaving the D-Day events in Normandy early yesterday.
For context: Sunak has been accused of dereliction of duty for leaving an event held to honour the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings early. He has apologised.
ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/aea81efd-fbc7-4e40-990e-646f6e771457.jpgichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/9791fde7-3731-4c9e-99e1-83410fa59c2e.jpgFarage weighs in, saying he thinks this has been one of the "worst general election campaigns" between the two main parties.
He calls the leaders of the two parties "dull" - Starmer who is "Blair without the flair" while also referring to "Rishi slippery Sunak".
And he says the real Labour leader, Angela Rayner, is "here tonight".
Farage is the first to respond to the question on economic growth and successful climate policy.
He refers to "unrealistic" policies and says what we are currently doing in this country is sacrificing economic growth.
He adds that we are just exporting carbon emissions - giving an example of when steel works move to India.
It is, he says, a "fools' paradise".
Penny Mordaunt says she doesn't want D-Day to become a political football.
Farage interrupts to say it already has, and if Sunak's instinct was the same of British people "he wouldn't have contemplated for a moment not being there for the big international ceremony".
Nigel Farage says the NHS model isn't working and the more money we spend, the less delivery we get, which means the model is wrong.
Flynn says this is Nigel telling you he "does not believe in NHS".
Farage hits back that there are countries, such as France, that have different ways of funding healthcare using an insurance model.
ichef.bbci.co.uk/live-experience/cps/624/cpsprodpb/vivo/live/images/2024/6/7/d348eef1-3cbb-4333-9d08-7725e9aa3a29.jpgIorwerth says Farage wants to make this an election for his own self-interest, and we need to change the tone of the debate on immigration and "too much of it is framed around the bigotry of people like Nigel Farage".
Farage sarcastically replies: "Open the doors! Let everyone come! Benefits for everybody!"
Farage now adds his input and brings the debate back to migration. He says the "population explosion" has made housing too expensive and that reducing migration to net zero would help.
He also talks about taxes - saying that by the end of 2027, eight million people will be in the 40p tax band.
As a reminder, both Labour and the Conservatives plan to keep income tax bands frozen - meaning more people will pay more tax, as their pay goes up.
Rayner calls Farage a "clown personality" like Boris Johnson, who broke Covid lockdown rules and people's trust.
Farage is the first to respond to the question on economic growth and successful climate policy.
He refers to "unrealistic" policies and says what we are currently doing in this country is sacrificing economic growth.
He adds that we are just exporting carbon emissions - giving an example of when steel works move to India.
It is, he says, a "fools' paradise".
Farage calls for a return to "stop and search", saying it works - which gets applause. And he calls for longer sentences.
He adds that you can shoplift up to ยฃ200 of goods and not be prosecuted, because government and police are "scared" to act.
Nigel Farage says we know the areas where knife crime is most prevalent, adding that the problem of knife crime won't be dealt with unless we go out and "do what needs to be done".
"We're scared of our own shadow here," he says.
Farage says low-level and street-level crime is rapidly growing.
He brings up old theories about cleaning up New York, where you deal with the small stuff such as people carrying knives, shoplifting, broken windows, you might fix the more serious stuff higher up.
Farage says there isn't "much difference" between Labour and the Conservatives, accusing them of engaging in "pathetic" arguments.
He says the Labour Party is set to win the election, and that the real debate is about who will lead the opposition, which he says should be Reform.
Farage claims Reform will become a "political phenomenon".