Leading body language expert Darren Stanton analysed the performance of Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer in PMQs for Bitcoin Casinos.
Sunak revealed ‘chinks in his amour’ during PMQs
If you listen to Rishi Sunak on the radio, you would imagine that he’s coming across very well, however, when you look at the verbal clues, it looks like someone on the ropes. Sunak relies heavily on leaning on the Dispatch Box and has his pad, Starmer uses these too but not to the same effect.
One of the questions from Labour MP Rachel Hopkins about Sunak’s wife’s shares in a company that received a subsidy really threw him and he went into total turmoil. He bit his lip, which is a pacifying gesture, he stuttered a few times and his body language completely changed in seconds, it’s a highly significant demonstration that his emotions had shifted and he backpedaled.
Non-verbally, Sunak did come across quite confident but there were chinks in the armour that are starting to appear. There were times where his voice was cracking, which is a sign of stress and this combined with some non-verbal signals are signs of somebody on the ropes.
Sunak isn’t being authentic
Starmer comes across as a very good speaker who is very forthright and passionate about what he says, and I think that’s the difference between the two men. Sunak tends not to have any kind of emotion, he has one gear he’s stuck in and he doesn’t come across as connected with what he’s saying.
He doesn’t come across as authentic on camera, with one default setting and one gesture, one masking smile. When he smiles, he’s not smiling because he’s happy, he’s smiling because he’s under immense pressure and stress.
Sunak is more weighed down than ever
Sunak now appears to be more weighed down than ever. The cracks are beginning to show and he’s trying to paper over them.
As we get closer to the general election, it’s going to be more and more difficult for him to maintain his current level of composure. More things are beginning to overwhelm him and the more times he has to defend his party’s record, the harder it will be for him to maintain his cool.
Sunak, from a listening point of view, comes across as good as Starmer, if not better, however, he’s betrayed by his body language and non-verbal signals that show a man with cracks beginning to show. As we loom towards a general election, we’re going to see more and more of this behaviour.
Latest odds
A Labour majority in the next general election is the 2/5 odds on favourite to be the outcome, while the Conservatives holding onto their majority is 7/1. A minority for the Tories is 9/2 and 7/2 for Labour.
Introducing Darren Stanton
Darren Stanton is a former police officer with Derbyshire police with a degree in psychology, who used his expertise to uncover the truth when interviewing hundreds of suspects.
He later moved into media and TV as a consultant, being dubbed the “Human Lie Detector” appearing on the likes of BBC’s The One Show, ITV’s This Morning with Phillip and Holly as well as working on screen with criminal barrister Robert “Judge” Rinder.
He has also analysed heightened political situations including General Election debates and key interviews with the likes of Dominic Cummings.
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