With just over a week to go until the general election in the UK, the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties held their final televised debate, engaging in heated discussions over immigration policy and other issues.

On the 26th, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, leader of the ruling Conservative Party, and Leader Starmer of the main opposition Labour Party held their final televised debate before the vote.

Sunak reiterated his promise that if he won the election, he would forcibly deport some asylum seekers who reach the UK to Rwanda in order to tackle illegal immigration, and criticised Starmer’s policy of sending migrants back to their home countries as “pointless”.

Conservative Party Prime Minister Sunak
“They (illegal immigrants) are coming into the UK from Iran, Syria and Afghanistan. Starmer says he will deport illegal immigrants, but is he going to sit down and talk to the supreme leader of Iran or the Taliban in Afghanistan? What you’re saying is completely nonsensical.”

Meanwhile, Starmer insisted that “asylum seekers must be protected”, but denied the effectiveness of the plan, saying “it would take hundreds of years to send all illegal immigrants to Rwanda”.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were taking place outside the university in Nottingham where the event was being held, and the voices of the protesters could be heard inside the venue at times, but the BBC presenter, who was hosting the event, said “it’s one aspect of democracy,” and continued the discussion.

The election will be held on the 4th of next month, and the latest opinion polls show the opposition Labour Party leading the Conservative Party by 18 points.

Source: Japanese