‘There’s clearly bad blood between Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak’: Andrew Pierce says Labour leader ‘clearly hates’ PM as he discusses the leaders’ debate on the Mail’s podcast The Reaction

There was ‘obvious bad blood’ between the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister Keir Starmer during last night’s TV debate, Andrew Pierce told the Mail’s talk show The Reaction.

Co-host Mr. Pierce collected the Work leader ‘hate’ Rishi Sunak and “can’t stand him” when he sees the leaders pitted against each other.

The prime minister took on the opposition leader in their first confrontation since the snap general election was called for July 4.

During the debate, the two discussed important issues such as the economy, defense, NHS and migration in the campaign’s biggest moment yet.

There was “obvious bad blood” between the Prime Minister and Keir Starmer during last night’s TV debate, Andrew Pierce told the Mail’s The Reaction chat show.

Co-host Pierce rallying Labor leader ‘hates’ Rishi Sunak and ‘can’t stand him’ as he sees the leaders go head-to-head

Sir Keir appeared frustrated last night with Mr Sunak being ‘agile’ and ‘aggressive’

The prime minister took on the opposition leader in their first confrontation since the snap general election was called for July 4

Mr Pierce and Sarah Vine told The Reaction their impressions of watching the collision. Mr Pierce said: “I looked at the body language.

‘Did you notice Starmer couldn’t really look at Rishi? I mean, he clearly hates him.

‘There is clearly bad blood. Sometimes they get along well, but he clearly can’t stand him and can’t look at him.

‘But when Sunak lay against him he looked so pained.’

Ms Vine agreed and went on to say that Sir Keir ‘looked testy’, as if he was thinking: ‘This is an annoying guy, why is he getting in my way as Prime Minister, and that’s clearly what I need to be.’

“There was a kind of sense of small entitlement,” she added.

Mr Sunak and Sir Keir discussed key issues in the debate chaired by presenter Julie Etchingham

Ms Vine said Sir Keir seemed ‘a bit irritated’ as the Prime Minister ‘came down hard’ in the debate and came across as ‘haughty’.

He didn’t respond in an “efficient manner”, she said, and “continued to randomly” mention former Prime Minister Liz Truss, but it didn’t resonate with viewers, co-host Andrew Pierce agreed.

The commentator continued to take a dig at the Labor leader, saying there was a clear difference in their ‘mental agility’.

Mr Pierce said Sir Keir should have been used to being hostile from his time as a lawyer, but it was Mr Sunak who was always on the attack, ‘nimble and quick’.

Ms Vine added: “I think they are flushing out the weaknesses in these leaders. Personally, I think people do vote on personality in a general election.”

During the crucial ITV debate, which was watched by an average of five million viewers, the two political leaders traded blows on the economy and the NHS and often shouted over each other.

Neither Sunak nor Sir Keir appeared likely to be knocked out, but a snap YouGov poll showed the Prime Minister doing marginally better, winning with 51 per cent, compared to 49 per cent for the Labor leader.

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