Johnny Mercer rejected Labour claims that Rishi Sunak appeared “tetchy” during last night’s first televised general election debate clash with Sir Keir Starmer. 

Mr Sunak and the Labour leader battled it out on ITV for an hour as they each sought to provide their campaigns with a boost. 

Mr Sunak focused on claims that Labour would raise taxes while Sir Keir attempted to move the debate onto the Tories’ 14-year record in office. 

A Labour spokesperson said afterwards that the Prime Minister had appeared “tetchy” and “defensive” but those claims were rejected outright by Mr Mercer, the minister for veterans’ affairs. 

He told reporters: “No, he wasn’t tetchy at all. Listen, if you put yourself out there in public life and you actually stand for something, if you’re like Keir and you blow this way and that, you try to be all things to all men, it’s easy, you just ghost your way through.

“If you actually stand up for something and pin your colours to the mast, yes it is frustrating when someone on the other side basically says whatever he needs to to get through something without delivering any plan whatsoever to the British people to be their prime minister.

“So I don’t think he was tetchy, I think he was firm, I think he was clear and I think he was straight, and that’s what people expect from their Prime Minister.”

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