First televised debate between Sunak and Trass tonight in Britain

by

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will cross swords in the BBC debate at 9pm local time.

London, Thanasis Gavos

The first telefight between the two final would-be successors to Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and as Prime Minister will be watched by the British tonight.

THE former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State Liz Truss will cross swords in the debate hosted by the BBC at 9pm local time. The telefight will take place in Stoke-on-Trent, with a studio audience made up of Conservative Party voters.

It is a reminder that the next leader of the party and the country will only be chosen by up to 200,000 registered Tory members.

Their showdown comes amid accusations of a “toxic” election campaign, with the focus over the weekend shifting from a row over tax policy and the economy to dealing with China and the threat the Asian giant poses to Britain and the West. .

Mr Sunak described China as the biggest threat of this century and essentially accused Ms Truss of helping Beijing to “infiltrate” British universities and spread propaganda through the sites as Under Secretary for Education (2012-14) Confucius Institutes, i.e. the official body promoting Chinese culture abroad.

The Foreign Secretary’s staff countered that her opponent had taken a very “soft” stance on China as Finance Minister and that the China Global Times is backing him in the succession race.

The latest round of aggressive leaks also include criticism from Ms Truss’s staff of Mr Sunak that he had resisted pressure to end Russian gas imports and impose sanctions on Russian banks. Mr Sunak’s supporters, on the other hand, accuse Ms Truss of exaggerating when she refers to the poverty-stricken environment in which she says she grew up in Leeds, noting that her school, while not private, attracted high-quality students.

Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, a staunch supporter of Ms Truss, accused Rishi Sunak of liking to go around in expensive clothes, noting he appeared in a £3,500 suit – while the Foreign Secretary “is more likely to appear with a pair of £4.50 earrings.’ Ms Dorris’s intervention, however, brought up an earlier interview in which she said: “I may wear cheaper clothes but there are things I won’t compromise on, like my £6,000 diamond earrings.”

This kind of recriminations provoked the public reaction of Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, who spoke of a “childish” election campaign by the two candidates which “disgraces” the party. “It’s time to raise the bar,” he added.

Liz Truss has a clear lead over Rishi Sunak, according to the latest polls among party members and bookmakers’ predictions, despite the 42-year-old politician comfortably leading the Tory caucus polls in the first preliminary leg of the succession process.

The ongoing public and behind-the-scenes spats between the two candidates and their staffs have given opposition Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer renewed fodder to accuse them of ignoring the real needs of the people. As he characteristically mentioned in his latest statements, Mr. Sunak and Ms. Truss engage in a “Thatcherite imitation” elbow.

You May Also Like

Recommended for you