This evening we've been fact checking the first leaders debate of the UK general election 2024.

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Dear Friend,

Tonight Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer participated in the first live debate of the UK general election. We've been fact checking some of the big claims that were made.
Taxation, the NHS and immigration played a central role in the debate and we've pulled together a list of key claims and our initial take.

The Full Fact team is rounding-up claims from the debate so visit our website ([link removed]) for a more in-depth analysis.


** Tax was at the heart of the debate
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Rishi Sunak said under Labour there was a “retirement tax” coming for British pensioners.

This is based on forecasts showing that under current government policy, the state pension is set to rise above the personal allowance for the first time.

Labour says it’ll maintain current government policy, while the Conservatives say they’ll re-establish a higher personal allowance for pensioners, so the state pension does not exceed the income tax threshold.
Learn more... ([link removed] )

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Keir Starmer claimed under the Conservatives taxes were “at the highest level for 70 years”.

This was true of the ‘tax burden’ in 2022/23. It’s since fallen slightly, but is forecast to increase over each of the next five years to a near-record level.

Learn more... ([link removed])
DEBATE SUMMARY
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Cut through the spin and get to the core of the claims that were discussed during the first leader's debate.

Full Fact's summary is full of our latest live fact checks from throughout the evening, alongside additional context that may be useful in understanding some of the claims being made.
Read more... ([link removed])
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KEY ELECTION TOPICS EXPLAINED BY FULL FACT
Keir Starmer said energy bills were going to go up “in the Autumn”.
* Analysts forecast that in October the energy price cap will increase to the equivalent of £1,762 a year for a typical household. ([link removed])

Rishi Sunak said NHS waiting lists were high because “the NHS was impacted by industrial action.”
* It’s hard to be sure what impact strikes have had on waiting lists, but analysis by both think tanks and the NHS suggests they’ve had some effect. ([link removed])

Keir Starmer claimed the last Labour government saw patient satisfaction in the NHS at a record high.
* Peak public satisfaction with the NHS was recorded in 2010, just after Labour left power. But we’ve not found a consistent measure of patient satisfaction over the NHS’s history. ([link removed])

Rishi Sunak said small boat crossings are down by a third.
* That was true in 2023, comparing year-on-year. But so far in 2024 provisional figures show they’re up 38% vs the same period last year. ([link removed])

Discover our latest fact checks on our general election live blog.

Discover more... ([link removed])

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