Time.news – Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the two candidates for the succession of Boris Johnson at the helm of the British government, they faced each other tonight in their first televised face to face. The goal is to try to win votes among the conservative bases in an election marked by the intersection of mutual accusations.
The debate between the former Minister of Economy and the Foreign Minister went live on the BBC, whose host Sophie Raworth asked the candidates questions by topics, completed by the heads of the political and economic editors, Chris Mason and Faisal Islam, in front of an audience of Tory voters.
For Sunak, for example, against the cost of living crisis, long-term solutions are needed. Sunak recalled his recent time at the helm of Finance, noting that he had offered “meaningful support” for people to pay their bills in the fall and winter.
“If we follow the plans of Rishi (Sunak), we are heading for a recession“, retorted Minister Truss.” I remember the referendum campaign, and there was only one of us on the side of the Remain, “answered Rishi.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss both avoided attacking outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the TV debate. For the foreign minister, despite the mistakes he made – from violating Covid party rules to appointing Chris Pincher as deputy parliamentary group despite allegations of harassment – the Downing Street boss didn’t deserve to lose his job. That said, it’s time for a “well deserved break” for him.
For the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, whose resignation sparked an avalanche revolt within the party, Johnson is one of the most “extraordinary politicians ever met”. His choice to leave the government was “a matter of principle”, “when it is too much is too much”, he added, stating clearly that there will be no room for him in his future government.
Although another Sky News debate has been scheduled next week and the candidates will be holding election events throughout August, tonight’s appointment is considered crucial: According to expectations, many Conservative Party members will vote just when they receive the ballot papers, between 1 and 5 August.
The winner of these primariesstarted with the election of the finalists by the conservative parliamentary group in the House of Commons, it will be proclaimed on September 5, after the summer parliamentary break.
The next day, Boris Johnson, still prime minister in office despite the farewell to Downing Street announced on 7 July, will resign before Queen Elizabeth II, who will entrust her successor with the task of forming the new government.
Conservative MPs mostly supported Sunak, but Truss, the right-wing candidate, is the favorite according to internal polls. In recent days, the staff of the two candidates, who were both ministers of the Johnson government until Sunak’s resignation on July 5 due to disagreements with the premier, have spared no attacks and criticisms, including of a personal nature.
In a statement released today before the debate, Sunak said he considered China “the UK’s biggest long-term threat” and vowed to close its 30 Confucius cultural centers.
Truss supporters, such as former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, retorted that, as finance minister, Sunak instead pushed for a trade deal with Beijing. Sunak, for her part, reproaches Truss for having supported the stay in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, even though the minister subsequently became a staunch supporter of Brexit.
After showing their differences in fiscal policy in the early days of the campaign, Truss, who advocates immediate tax cuts, and Sunak, who would like to apply them after bringing inflation under control, also clashed over immigration last weekend.
In another example of the personal tone of the attacks, the Minister of Culture, Nadine Dorries, mocked Sunak’s taste for expensive clothes. The Truss supporter recalled that the former Chancellor of the Exchequer millionaire was photographed at an election event in a suit worth thousands of pounds and Prada shoes costing 490 pounds (529 euros).
Dorries pointed out that, by contrast, Liz Truss, who flaunts her less elite upbringing, is likely to wear £ 5 earrings.