Candidates for the seat of Winchester locked horns at a hustings before the upcoming general election.

The debate was held at Christ Church on the sweltering evening of Wednesday, June 26, and included candidates from the main parties. 

Flick Drummond (Conservative), Hannah Dawson (Labour), Lorraine Estelle (Green Party), Danny Chambers (Lib Dems) and Sean Whelan (Reform UK) all sat to be grilled by the audience, which was hundreds strong.

READ MORE: Alresford to host Winchester General Election hustings

Christ Church was packed to the rafters in spite of the heat (Image: Sebastian Haw)

The chair said the other candidates had not been invited so they could "focus on the arguments".

Candidates agreed that the NHS, climate change and housing are the main issues in the constituency, and gave differing answers on how to fix them.

At times members of the audience made clear their frustration with the current government, with occasional jeering in the direction of Flick Drummond.

SEE MORE: General Election hustings at Christ Church in Winchester

Aside from Danny Chambers telling Ms Drummond he was "baffled" with what he sees as her inability to heed scientific evidence, the debate was civil, particularly compared with the recent TV debates between party leaders.

Immigration was also discussed, with the current government's policies coming under scrutiny.

The Conservative candidate doubled down on her party's scheme to send migrants to Rwanda as the other candidates did their best to tear it apart, with Hannah Dawson (Labour) calling it a "gimmick".

Most of the other candidates agreed that the "limbo" asylum seekers and other immigrants find themselves in is unacceptable and that those coming to the country should be allowed to work while they wait for a decision on visas.

"It's a very cruel thing to do," says Lorraine Estelle. "We need to work to have their applications done faster and let them work while they're waiting."

Another concern deeply felt by audience members was the lack of funding plaguing the government: the question "where will the money come from?" was asked by both candidates and audience members.

Candidates' solutions to problems surrounding the NHS varied - Danny Chambers said the Lib Dems would recruit 8,000 more GPs.

Sean Whelan argued the NHS should be run as a business, not a charity.

Big tech and social media companies also came under the microscope, with one audience member concerned over their regulation. 

This touched on a theme running through the hustings and the battle for Westminster in general: how should the government go about regaining control over a series of institutions and companies that have seemingly gone "awol"?