Sunak and Starmer face off in a final television debate before the British elections

Conservative British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced off against his rival, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, in their final televised debate before next week's general election.

With Starmer's Labour opposition leading in opinion polls, the debate in Nottingham, central Britain, was Sunak's last chance to boost his party's chances in the July 4 election.

The debate between the rivals at times devolved into personal attacks, with Sunak accusing the Labour leader of "playing people for fools" over his plans to curb immigration, while Starmer accused Sunak's wealthy rival of being "out of touch with reality".

Sunak repeatedly urged voters not to "surrender" to Labor on everything from borders to taxes, while Starmer repeated his mantra that the election was an opportunity to "turn the page" after 14 years of Tory rule.

Starmer promised to "reset politics so that politics is a public service" and accused Sununu of lacking leadership.

The two men also sparred over an election-day betting scandal involving some senior Conservatives and a Labour candidate, as the issue dominated politics in the final days of the campaign.

Sunak, who promised to restore "integrity, professionalism and accountability" when he was appointed Conservative leader and prime minister in 2022, said he was "outraged" to learn of the allegations.

He added: "I have been absolutely clear: anyone who breaks the rules should not only face the full consequences of the law, but I will ensure they are expelled from the Conservative Party."

It is alleged that Craig Williams, who previously worked as Sunak's assistant, bet £100 ($127) that Sunak would call a snap election three days before the announcement.

A watchdog is investigating whether these officials received confidential information before placing their bets.

But in a reference to the public's negative view of politicians, one attendee asked, "Are you two really the best we've got?" to loud applause from the audience.

The Labour Party has led opinion polls by more than 20 percentage points for more than 18 months, as Britons appear to have grown tired of Conservative Party rule dominated by austerity, Brexit and internal party squabbles.

Theresa May has failed to reduce the deficit since calling a snap election on May 22, six months ahead of the legal deadline.

Since then, the Conservative leader has run a lackluster campaign riddled with gaffes and caused an uproar by skipping a commemoration of the anniversary of the Normandy landings with other world leaders in northern France.