Election latest: Keir Starmer asked if he has a 'trust issue' with voters as he faces questions from Beth Rigby and live audience; Rishi Sunak booed as he arrives (2024)

We're 10 minutes in and Starmer gets the first clap of the night with a point about tax rises.

He says "the Tories are in no position to lecture anyone about tax rises" - a point that is well received by the audience.

He was responding to a question about whether he will raise taxes - something the Conservatives have accused him of doing.

But there's also a clap when Beth points out that just because he has ruled out a rise in VAT, National Insurance and income tax, there are other taxes he could raise - like fuel duty or council tax.

Clearly, it's something the audience feel strongly about - and they're keen for a clear answer.

Beth Rigby is now pushing Sir Keir on whether he will raise taxes.

He says there is nothing in Labour's manifesto, which comes out tomorrow, that "requires us to raise tax".

Beth puts it to him that the Conservatives have suggested Labour will put up taxes.

"The Tories are in no position to lecture anyone about tax rises," he says, to applause from the audience.

Beth Rigby now takes Sir Keir Starmer to the 10 pledges upon which he was elected as Labour Party leader.

Asked if he wrote the pledges himself, he agrees that he did, and adds that most are still in place.

Rigby puts to Sir Keir that he's dropped several of them.

"That's not entirely true," he replies, adding that he was not going to "shy away" from the fact he had changed his position on the pledges.

"I've asked myself, honestly, are these country first, party second? If the answer that question is no, then I've changed them."

Pressed on whether he thinks they're wrong in principle, Sir Keir uses the example of energy nationalisation as a policy that was scrapped for the benefit of the public.

He says the cost to nationalise would have "run into tens of billions of pounds".

"I had to take a decision, which is, do we use tens of billions of pounds to pay off shareholders, to nationalise the company, but not have any money to reduce your bill? I thought that would have been the wrong decision."

The Labour leader is up first to be asked questions.

Beth Rigby says he told the country Jeremy Corbyn would be a great leader for the country, then expelled him from the party, and he campaigned for a second EU referendum but doesn't talk about it now.

She says he has "dumped all the leftie policies you once loved" and his political career appears to be a "catalogue of broken promises and changed positions".

Sir Keir says Labour lost "very badly" in the 2019 general election, including in Grimsby.

People felt they couldn't vote for Labour and his party should "listen to electorate", he says.

"You don't look to the voters and say what on earth do you think you're doing, you look to your party and say we have to change."

Beth then asks: "But you get there's a trust issue here with voters?"

Sir Keir says he decided it had to be "country first" and "party second".

Still, Beth presses him further on his previous support for Jeremy Corbyn.

"I was certain that we would lose the 2019 election," Sir Keir says, but adds he did campaign for Labour.

He says he will make "no apology" for campaigning for Labour at the time, despite thinking it would lose.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer becomes the first to face our political editor Beth Rigby.

She will scrutinise Sir Keir during a 20-minute in-depth interview.

By Joely Santa Cruz, data journalist

Grimsby is a place to keep an eye on at the upcoming election.

In 2019, residents voted Tory for the first time since the Second World War.

The old Cleethorpes constituency was always more of a bellwether, having voted Conservative since 2010.

Labour will need a 11.7 point swing to win this newly merged constituency back from the Conservatives.

What do we know about the people of Grimsby and Cleethorpes?

The constituency ranks very highly for people in working class occupations, and a high proportion (70%) voted Leave in 2016.

It also ranks highly on Sky News' deprivation index, being more deprived than 80% of constituencies in England and Wales.

This index considers factors such as the number of people in bad health, unemployment, housing overcrowding, and with qualifications at or below GCSE level as indicators of deprivation.

The Sky/YouGov MRP poll released last week shows Labour could be on track to flip the Conservative majority, with 43.8% vote share to the Tories' 26.6%.

Of course, there's still time for things to change between now and the election.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting is in the spin room at Sky's leaders' event.

He says the "great thing" about tonight's format is that Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer will face questions from the audience.

"These are the sort of interactions Keir really enjoys," he says.

He says it will be a chance for the Labour leader to do two things.

Firstly, to "get across Labour's message of change and how we will bring it about," he says.

"Secondly, to make sure that people get the message that the only way this country gets the change we need is if people vote for it."

Asked what Sir Keir has been doing to prepare for tonight's event, he says he sees it as a "great opportunity".

"I think it's fair to say Keir is enjoying himself on the campaign," he says.

"He's loving being out on the campaign trail. He sees tonight as a great opportunity to show the wider country who don't see him in person on the campaign trail how much he enjoys interacting and answering the questions and setting out Labour's thoughts."

Ahead of tonight's event, our presenterSophy Ridgehas some questions for Gareth Davies, exchequer secretary to the Treasury.

She asks whether it's all over for the Conservative Party, to which he replies: "It is absolutely not over - we're in it to win it, fighting for every vote."

He says events like tonight "allow Rishi Sunak to set out who he is" and "set out a clear difference with Keir Starmer and the Labour Party".

But Sophy points out that messaging has changed in the last day, with the Tories telling the public to make sure Labour doesn't get a "super majority".

Mr Davies says this simply means not writing a "blank cheque for Keir Starmer".

"That doesn't sound like party trying to win," says Sophy.

Mr Davies replies: "We are absolutely trying to win, believe me."

Sky's Sophy Ridge says Sky's leaders' debate represents a moment of jeopardy for both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer.

"It's easy to think this is an election campaign without much jeopardy - a campaign where we already know the outcome," she says.

"But there is an awful of jeopardy tonight for Rishi Sunak."

She says it's one of the prime minister's "last chances to turn things around and to save his election campaign".

For the Labour leader, meanwhile, she says "frankly, it's his to lose".

"If Labour's strategy has been to carefully carry that Ming vase across the floor, well, tonight he's got to get through 45 minutes without breaking it. Will he manage it?"

Sophy adds that if you haven't made up your mind about who to vote for, "this is your perfect chance to see them up close".

Rishi Sunak has just arrived at Sky News' leaders event in Grimsby.

The prime minister was booed as he exited the car and made his way into the building.

Mr Sunak smiled as entered the town hall and shook hands with Sky's executive chairman David Rhodes.