Who won ITV General Election Debate - Sunak or Starmer? Our full analysis of clash

Just 24 hours before going head to head with the man who wants his job, Rishi Sunak told this paper he was adopting the ‘bazball’ cricketing strategy where you come out fighting.

And he certainly did just that last night as he showed the passion and fire voters have wanted to see.

Over and over again he warned that Sir Keir Starmer is plotting to land households with a £2,000 tax bill to pay for his spending plans if he takes power.

The Labour leader was free at any point during the hour-long debate to state clearly that he had no such intentions.

Voters were left to draw the clear conclusion that is because Mr Sunak is correct.

Let us know who you think won the debate - vote in our poll below and leave your comments here.

The PM pointed out it is in Labour’s DNA to put up taxes because it is a party that likes to spend other people’s money.

Sir Keir had no answer. Just like he had no answer on the many occasions Mr Sunak asked him how he would resolve the country’s issues.

For Mr Sunak, the first television showdown of the election was a chance to finally put his opponent on the spot.

Prime Minister’s Questions is a one-way street where week in, week out he faces a grilling at the hands of Sir Keir but cannot quiz him back.

Mr Sunak believes the Labour leader has been hiding away during the campaign, refusing to give any details about what he would do if he wins power.

Two weeks in and he is yet to reveal a vision for the country under a Labour government.

Televised election debates take up enormous amounts of time during the campaign as leaders spend days prepping for every eventuality, or so they hope.

The sense of jeopardy is palpable. Will someone stumble, Ed Miliband-style, when they leave the stage, will they forget their lines under the glare of the studio spotlights?

Neither tripped up literally or metaphorically.

But voters were finally able to see Sir Keir flail about when asked what he would actually do to solve issues rather than snipe about them.

Meanwhile, the Labour leader did what lawyers do, he prosecuted a case.

Over and over he questioned the PM on his record but answers about his own plans were scant.

At the moment, he is asking the public to vote him in on a blank cheque. The problem is how will he cash it?

Will the Labour leader be the moderate centrist he is trying to portray himself as or the radical left-winger he told the party he was when he was running for the leadership?

Last night, viewers were left none the wiser. They just learnt that either way their taxes will go up.

But who do you think won the first clash? Vote in our readers' poll above.