IRVINE Welsh has mocked Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer after the pair went head-to-head in an ITV General Election debate.
The Trainspotting author hit out at the “two most boring tw**s” after watching the Labour leader and his Tory opponent clash in the televised debate on Tuesday night.
Welsh said: “The Starmer-Sunak debate last night was like being stuck at a badly underfunded work’s Christmas meal between the two most boring tw**s in the office.
“I tapped out after about three minutes of that sh**.”
The Starmer-Sunak debate last night was like being stuck at a badly underfunded works Christmas meal between the two most boring twats in the office. I tapped out after about three minutes of that shit.
— Irvine Welsh (@IrvineWelsh) June 5, 2024
It comes as snap polling from YouGov found that the majority of people who tuned in to watch the debate (62%) said they had found it “frustrating”.
Although Starmer was perceived to have come across as more trustworthy (49% to Sunak’s 39%), likeable (50% to Sunak’s 34%), and in touch (66% to Sunak’s 17%), he was deemed to have lost the debate overall.
In total, 51% of respondents to the YouGov poll said Sunak had emerged on top, compared to 49% for Starmer.
Sunak was also deemed more “prime ministerial,” by 43% to Starmer’s 40%.
SNP candidate John Nicolson shared the results of the snap survey, saying: “You have to do really, really badly to lose to Sunak.
“Maybe voters aren’t so keen on total lack of principle after all?”
You have to do really, really badly to lose to Sunak. Maybe voters aren’t so keen on total lack of principle after all? https://t.co/ToBPzAeFCA
— JOHN NICOLSON 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 (@MrJohnNicolson) June 5, 2024
And his SNP colleague Kirsty Blackman quipped: “I’m watching on catch up so a bit behind.
“How is it that when you close your eyes you can’t really tell which one is talking?”
Responding to the snap YouGov poll, Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth accused the Prime Minister of “lying”.
The shadow paymaster general told the PA news agency: “There will be lots of opinion polls in the election campaign and the only poll that matters is election day.
“But we are pleased tonight. We think Keir leaves, and the Labour Party leaves, Manchester stronger than when we arrived because Keir tonight talked about our plan for the National Health Service, he talked about our plan to cut energy bills for good, to create good, well-paid jobs.
“He talked about our plan to give every child the best start with more teachers in our schools.
“And actually, all we saw tonight was a desperate, chaotic response from Rishi Sunak lying – lying about Labour’s plans because they know they’ve got nothing left in their locker.”
Michael Gove claimed Sunak had won a knock-out victory.
He told reporters: “I very much enjoyed that debate. Six-nil victory.”
The top Tory added: “Keir Starmer was flat on the canvas at the end of that.
“Can you tell me a single thing that Keir Starmer said that allows you to be better informed as to what he would do as prime minister? No.
“The one policy detail that he did get into, Great British Energy, he said would generate energy. No it won’t.”
