Jeremy Corbyn would have been better PM than Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer reveals under grilling from voters in crunch Question Time debate - as Rishi promises to send election date betting Tories packing

Jeremy Corbyn would person made a amended premier curate than Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer claimed past night.

The Labour person was near squirming connected unrecorded TV arsenic helium was grilled implicit his enactment for his predecessor, who helium doubly tried to marque PM.

Sir Keir became flustered arsenic helium was pressed to accidental whether helium had genuinely believed his assertion astatine the 2019 election that Mr Corbyn would marque a 'great premier minister'. 

By that point, helium had served successful Mr Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet for 4 years and urged the nationalist to marque him premier curate astatine 2 consecutive elections.

But successful caller times helium has worked hard to region himself from Mr Corbyn, who campaigned for years to ditch Britain's atomic deterrent and permission Nato.

On a unrecorded BBC Question Time peculiar past night, assemblage subordinate Emma Mitchell asked him wherefore helium was criticising Mr Corbyn now, having campaigned for him for years previously.

Sir Keir defended his determination to enactment Mr Corbyn, saying helium had ne'er believed Labour would triumph – and had simply aimed to guarantee arsenic galore Labour MPs arsenic imaginable survived. 

But helium refused 5 times to accidental whether helium had told the information erstwhile helium claimed his predecessor would marque a 'great premier minister'.

Initially helium suggested helium said helium 'didn't deliberation we would win' earlier suggesting Mr Corbyn would person made a 'better' PM than Mr Johnson. 

Pressed by big Fiona Bruce connected the information helium had not answered the question, Sir Keir said: 'It wasn't a question that arose due to the fact that I didn't deliberation we would win. I was campaigning for the Labour Party and I'm gladsome I did.'

In an interrogation with the London Evening Standard yesterday, Mr Corbyn rubbished Sir Keir's attempts to region himself from the 2019 run and his assertion that helium ne'er thought Labour could win.

The erstwhile Labour person said: 'He ne'er hinted astatine that, oregon intimated that astatine immoderate signifier to me. We did property conferences and events unneurotic successful the 2019 election. 

'He was portion of the Shadow Cabinet that agreed the manifesto. Own it. I was there, helium was there… and determination were witnesses.'

The clashes came as:

• Rishi Sunak said helium was 'incredibly angry' implicit revelations that a flood of bets were placed connected a July predetermination the time earlier helium had announced the date, vowing to footwear immoderate wrong-doers retired of the party;
• Mr Sunak volition contiguous transmission Sir John Major by urging voters to cautiously measurement up the semipermanent consequences of a Labour government; 
• Sir Keir was forced to contradict helium wanted to 'flatten the greenish belt' aft a Labour authoritative claimed the enactment would bash truthful to physique much houses; 
• Labour pledged to curb the 'scandalous' Right to Buy strategy – which lawman person Angela Rayner utilized erstwhile she bought her erstwhile assembly house. 
• Michael Gove warned a landslide Labour triumph could let Sir Keir to 'rig the system' and make a 'forever government'. 
• Labour acquisition spokesperson Bridget Phillipson said Labour volition forge a procreation of boys who turn up respecting women by tackling the 'rising tide' of sexism successful schools; 
• Lib-Dem person Sir Ed Davey apologised for the 'big mistakes' helium made arsenic Post Office curate and admitted helium was 'not proud' of immoderate of his actions successful the conjugation government. 

Sir Keir faced questions past nighttime astir the fig of U-turns helium had performed successful bureau – thing for which the Tories person branded him 'Sir flip flop'.

He tried to support his about-face connected assemblage tuition fees, saying the 'damage' caused to the system meant helium present had to prioritise resources for the NHS.

The Labour person besides tried to support his decisions connected vigor and his U-turn connected a erstwhile pledge to nationalise the inferior firms. He was besides challenged astir what enactment helium would instrumentality to assistance renters get onto the lodging ladder.

He said helium wanted to instrumentality enactment to halt landlords launching 'bidding wars' among prospective tenants. 'We've got to halt the landlords ripping disconnected tenants who are doing this bidding war... 'who volition wage more' until they are paying done the roof.'

But helium was incapable to accidental precisely however the argumentation would work.

The Labour person was past challenged implicit his planned taxation raid connected backstage schools by a subordinate of the assemblage who said it could adhd further accent connected the already strained authorities system.

Mr Sunak was challenged implicit wherefore NHS waiting lists had accrued by 300,000 since helium became PM.

He insisted advancement 'does not hap successful a consecutive line' – and held up ostentation falling to the people of 2 per cent yesterday arsenic wide impervious of this. 'When I became premier minister, ostentation was 11 per cent,' helium told the audience.

'That is thing that I said I would bash and we've done it now.

'These things don't hap overnight. They don't hap successful a consecutive line. And if you person a program and you instrumentality to it, you tin get the results. 

'What you person seen implicit this twelvemonth is waiting lists are present starting to travel down. We volition instrumentality to it and I volition get it done.'