A Tory wipeout risks one-party socialist state: Conservative MPs warn public not to hand Keir Starmer a 'super-majority' - as Labour leader squirms over Corbyn support but 'beats' Rishi Sunak in brutal TV grilling

Senior Tories last night warned the public not to hand Sir Keir Starmer a 'super-majority' at the general election.

In a shift of strategy, a string of Conservative figures issued blunt warnings about the danger of delivering a landslide victory to a Labour Party that has said little about its plans for power.

The new approach is designed to convince Tory voters flirting with Reform that they risk handing untrammelled power to avowed 'socialist' Sir Keir unless they return to the Conservative fold.

It came as Sir Keir failed to rule out a host of tax rises last night as he squirmed during a Sky News special election debate last night over his past support for Jeremy Corbyn in 2019.

He insisted he only backed his left-wing predecessor in saying he would make a 'great PM' because he was 'certain' Labour was going to lose.  

But he still came out on top in a snap poll to deepen Rishi Sunak's woes with the Labour leader coming across as more trustworthy, likeable, in touch with ordinary people and prime ministerial.

A panel of MailOnline readers echoed those thoughts with the majority of viewers believing the opposition leader wiped the floor with the Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak yesterday stayed defiant and insisted he had 'absolutely not' given up hope of winning the election amid a bruising week for the PM in which he has seen his approval rating plummet below Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

He added he will continue to 'keep fighting hard until the last day of this election', and reiterated his apology for his 'mistake' of leaving D-Day commemorations early. 

The premier had earlier played down the mockery over an ITV interview in which he suggested he experienced hardship as a child because he had to 'go without' Sky TV.

But hours later he was the brunt of the joke again as he told the audience in Grimsby during the Sky News debate that his 'appalling diet of Haribo and Twixes would make voters like him more. 

He gave the baffling response revealing his love for sugary confectionery when asked what he could say to make voters see him as 'Dishy Rishi' again. 

The change of course within the Tory ranks reflects growing concern among Conservative strategists about the party's failure to dent Labour's massive poll lead during the first three weeks of the election campaign. 

Some polls suggest the Conservatives could be left with fewer than 100 seats. Private Tory polling suggests many voters believe there is no risk in lending their votes to protest parties such as Reform because Labour is on course to win regardless.

But Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said granting Labour a 'super-majority' would hand 'unchecked' power to a party whose 'plans are so vague... you have no idea what they actually want to change'.

And former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox warned: 'If you believe the polls... we are sleepwalking into a one-party socialist state. 

'The consequences would be horrific, not just for the Conservative Party and for the country, but also for Labour because having an opposition is important.' 

The switch in tactics came as:

• Sir Keir prepared to launch his manifesto today with a pledge to make Labour the 'party of wealth creation'
• Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said his Surrey constituency was 'on a knife-edge' and likely to be decided by fewer than 1,500 votes
• Labour health spokesman Wes Streeting admitted Labour did not have a 'magic wand (to) fix everything straight away'
• Labour refused to rule out raising duty on beer, wine and spirits as fears grew about its tax plans
• The Prime Minister's parliamentary aide Craig Williams was under investigation for placing a £100 bet on a July election just days before it was called
• The Green Party vowed to tax foreign holidays and scrap the Trident nuclear deterrent
• The Home Office said it would offer increased security to Nigel Farage following a series of attempted assaults.

Mr Sunak hinted at a new campaign strategy on Tuesday when he warned voters not to hand Labour a 'blank cheque'. But the message was amplified by Mr Shapps yesterday. 

The Defence Secretary, whose Welwyn Hatfield seat could fall to Labour, suggested the Tories were fighting to prevent a 1997-style Labour landslide.

He said that to ensure proper accountability 'you don't want to have somebody receive a super-majority', adding that if Labour's 'power was in some way unchecked, it would be very bad news'.

Mr Shapps warned against a 'blank-cheque approach, allowing someone to do anything they wanted, particularly when their particular set of plans are so vague, and they say 'change', but you have no idea what they actually want to change to'.

Miriam Cates, of the New Conservative group of Right-wing MPs, warned that a 'Left-wing government on steroids' would be free to tear up border controls and impose woke gender rules.

Asked if the Tories had conceded defeat, Mr Sunak said: 'No, absolutely not.'

Body blow for Rishi Sunak as snap poll finds Keir Starmer won Sky News election grilling by 64% to 36%

Rishi Sunak was hit with a body blow last night as a snap poll found Keir Starmer came out on top in a crucial TV election grilling.

Viewers thought the Labour leader performed better in the Sky News special by 64 per cent to 36 per cent, according to YouGov.

The grim result leaves Mr Sunak facing a desperate three-week struggle to avoid electoral oblivion and humiliation at the hands of Nigel Farage, after hopes that the programme could be a turning point were dashed.

The premier repeatedly faced mocking laughter from the audience in Grimsby as he was hammered over leaving D-Day commemorations in Normandy early last week, repeating his grovelling apology. And he was left pleading that he 'appreciated people's frustrations' the government had not 'got everything right' in critical areas such as immigration.

On the stage beforehand, Sir Keir did not get an easy ride - squirming as he was challenged on why he now condemns Jeremy Corbyn after arguing he would make a 'great PM' five years ago.

Sir Keir wriggled as he was asked on Sky News how people could 'trust' him, arguing that he only endorsed Mr Corbyn because he was 'certain that we would lose'.

He also floundered as he was pushed by presenter Beth Rigby on whether he would rule out all tax rises - sticking to his line that income tax, national insurance and VAT would not be touched. He would not completely deny that council tax or fuel duty could increase.

But Sir Keir was received far more warmly by the crowd, and rammed home attacks on the Tories' 14 years in government.

The poll suggested Mr Sunak even scored lower than Sir Keir on tax - the issue the Conservatives have been targeting as a chink in Labour's armour. Sir Keir's performance was also preferred by every age group - three-quarters of 18-24 year olds, 66 per cent of 25-49s, 59 per cent of those aged 50-64 and 47 per cent of 65-plus Brits.

Mr Sunak now heads off to the G7 summit in Italy, where he will seek to underline his credentials as a statesman. Sir Keir launches Labour's manifesto today, with expectations that it will be a safety-first document.

In other key moments:

• Sir Keir defended adding VAT to private school fees after being confronted by a parent who would have to pull his daughter out;
• He went on the attack against Mr Sunak saying that parties that left everything worse than when they came to power 'should be booted out';
• Sir Keir said his biggest worry about being PM was the impact on his son and daughter, admitting his wife Victoria did not want him to enter politics after stepping down as Director of Public Prosecutions;
• Sir Keir struggled to find words as an audience member accused him of being a 'political robot';
• Mr Sunak defended progress against his five missions and denied he had called the election early because he knew he would not hit the goals soon;
• The premier was berated over huge levels of legal net migration, running at 685,000 a year, with Rigby saying people in Grimsby who voted for Brexit would be furious. 'Why should anyone believe what you say on immigration?' 
• Mr Sunak admitted numbers were 'too high' but argued they had been coming down since he entered No10;
• The PM was attacked over tax as he dodged acknowledging that the overall burden will keep rising, even with his latest tax cut pledges; 
• He did not repeat his claim that Labour will hike taxes for families by £2,000, which he deployed repeatedly in the last ITV debate;  
• Mr Sunak was hit with laughter as Rigby asked whether Tory infighting meant he was not certain to be PM in a year even if he wins the election;
• The premier was grilled on Partygate and his own fine for breaching Covid rules, saying he 'regretted what happened' and 'apologised for it at the time';
• Mr Sunak was assailed by a former Tory local association chair who said she felt unable to support the party after the D-Day row and Covid lockdowns;
• LISTEN: Sarah Vine and Andrew Pierce analyse the latest election news on The Reaction. 

Mr Sunak commentated on Sir Keir's performance on social media, to underline the fact the Labour leader would not go head-to-head again.

He swiped: 'Does anyone know what Keir Starmer actually stands for?' 

Pressed on his shifts in position over core issues, Sir Keir was asked whether there was a trust issue.

He said: 'No because what I would say is this – I decided it must be country first so every decision after that I judged previous decisions, previous positions and I said 'Is this truly country first, party second'; if the answer to that was 'no' then I changed the position and dragged my party back to the service of working people.'

On his previous support for Mr Corbyn, Sir Keir said: 'I was certain that we would lose the 2019 election.'

He added: 'I did campaign for Labour, of course I did, I will openly say I campaigned for Labour, I wanted good colleagues to be returned into the Labour Party.'

Sir Keir repeatedly said he was 'certain' Labour would lose in 2019 when challenged over his support for Mr Corbyn.

Sir Keir was given a round of applause as he insisted: 'The Tories are in no position to lecture anyone about tax rises.

But he struggled on the detail of his own proposals, after Mr Sunak demanded he match Tory vows to rule out tax increases. 

'We've got the highest tax burden for 70 years and I think working people shouldn't pay more tax. We will not raise their tax.

'What we need to do is get the economy going – there's a reason that taxes have gone up so much in recent years and that's because the economy is flatlining.'

Sir Keir insisted that the Labour manifesto being unveiled tomorrow – no tax surprises, there's going to be no need to raise tax on the plans we're setting out.'

On whether there would be a review of council tax banding in England, Sir Keir said: 'Council tax is too high for many people, it's been going up, it went up again this year, but that's because the Government lost control of the economy.'

Pressed on a review, Sir Keir said: 'I am not wanting to raise tax, I think people are taxed too much already.'

Sir Keir also wobbled on whether he would continue with the fuel duty freeze.

He said: 'That has to be decided budget-by-budget, but my track record is we've supported the cap on fuel duty every single time it has come up, but I want to do things differently.

'If we just do things in the same way that we've done for the last 14 years, we'll end up in the same mess. I'm not prepared to do that.'

On whether he would increase capital gains tax - another Tory accusation - Sir Keir said: 'That's not in our manifesto, that is not a choice we're making, that will not be unveiled tomorrow, there's no surprises in our manifesto.'

Sir Keir came under fire from a father who was worried he would have to pull his daughter out of private school if VAT was added to fees.

The Labour leader said: 'I have nothing against private schools, I absolutely recognise that many parents work hard and save hard to send their children to private schools because they have aspiration for their children.'

But he received applause as he added: 'I equally accept that every parent has aspiration for their children whether they go to private school or not.'

He said: 'For those children in state secondary school who don't have the teachers they need, that is not a one-year problem or a two-year budgeting problem it is lifelong problem because if they don't get the qualifications they need at 15 and 16 they can't go and do what they want.'

When the leaders switched places, Mr Sunak was asked why people should keep him in the job.

'Well, I've got to say it hasn't been an easy 18 months in general but what I've done though is just keep going to try and do my best for people and that's what I'm doing in this campaign,' he said.

Mr Sunak said he believes the country has 'turned a corner', adding: 'We've got a clear plan for the future to make a difference to people – to cut their taxes, bring down immigration, to protect pensions.'

He added he will continue to 'keep fighting hard until the last day of this election'.

On his early departure from D-Day commemorations, Mr Sunak reiterated his apology for his 'mistake' before saying: 'I was incredibly sad to have caused people hurt and upset, that was the last thing that I wanted to do. I hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me.'

Mr Sunak said he has spoken to veterans about his party's work to help them.

Answering questions about the five pledges he made in January 2023, Mr Sunak said: 'The most important priority was the first one, because when I got this job, inflation was at 11 per cent and I think everyone knows the last few years have been difficult, the impact that was having on all your bills.'

He faced laughter when he said: 'It (inflation) was always meant to come down over time.'

Mr Sunak also faced questions about rising NHS waiting lists, up to 7.54million from the 7.21million level when he made the pledge.

'We've not made as much progress on cutting waiting lists as I would have liked,' the Prime Minister said.

'That was something that I was keen to do, and it has proved more difficult for a number of reasons, obviously recovering from a pandemic is not easy,' he said.

He faced groans and boos when he said: 'I think everyone knows the impact the industrial action has had, that's why we haven't made as much (progress).'

Labour figures were left fuming at the PM's 'lies' about their tax plans, after Mr Sunak berated Sir Keir for plotting to hike the tax burden for Brits by £2,000.

The PM was dealt a blow ahead of last night's Sky News programme as the UK economy was shown to have flatlined in April, according to latest figures.

The Office for National Statistics reported that growth domestic product (GDP) was flat during the month following growth of 0.4 per cent in March.

The data will present a headache for the PM, who told voters the economy had 'turned a corner' after it emerged from recession in the second half of last year.

Mr Sunak is also facing a fresh row over D-Day after it was revealed how he blamed the late-running commemoration events for his delayed arrival to a TV interview.

The PM has suffered days of outrage after he skipped a major international ceremony with other world leaders in Normandy last week.

The row deepened when it later emerged Mr Sunak had conducted an ITV interview on his return from northern France last Thursday.

In a clip of that interview now released by the broadcaster, the PM has been shown apologising for his late arrival - suggesting he wanted to leave Normandy earlier.

'Very nice to see you, sorry to have kept you,' Mr Sunak said to journalist Paul Brand, adding of the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations: 'It all just ran over.

'It was incredible but it just ran over... so apologies for keeping you.'

Mr Sunak's political opponents seized on the 'insulting' exchange to claim it showed how the PM viewed D-Day as an 'inconvenience'.