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Who will be “our” next prime minister? It was with this question that the presenter opened the debate between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak on the BBC at 21:00 UK time.
But over the next six weeks, not all of the country will be able to vote – only 150,000 to 180,000 Conservative Party members will vote by post. The party keeps the exact number of voters a secret.
Hot debate
The debate quickly turns heated, as expected on the topic of taxes. Foreign Secretary Truss promises to act immediately as the nation faces its biggest cost-of-living crisis in generations. She spoke concretely: “I would cancel the increase in social security contributions.”
Sunaku strongly criticized his promises of immediate tax cuts. According to him, we must first control inflation. “You promised around £40bn of unfunded tax cuts. £40bn more debt. At the expense of the country, our children and grandchildren, everyone must pay. This is not a conservative policy. Both were constantly interrupting the other, Sunaku in particular frequently interrupting Truss.
The private property debate
During the day, Culture Minister Nadine Dorries, a supporter of Truss, had fueled the internal party conflict on Twitter that many Tories feared. She shared a Daily Mail report criticizing Sunak for his expensive, luxurious clothing. Truss, meanwhile, wore five-pound earrings.
Asked about this during the televised debate, Trussi spoke again of her modest origins compared to Sunak, who with his wife has a fortune of around £730m. “I went to public school and saw how my classmates were abandoned and how the education was sometimes bad. That’s what motivated me to go into politics,” Truss said.
Will Johnson stay in government?
The venue for this debate was Stoke on Trent, once a Labor stronghold. But recently, Boris Johnson had helped the Tories win there. Trussi, who remains loyal to Johnson, avoided directly answering the question of whether she would give him a role in her government. She doesn’t think this is a current issue. Sunaku, whose resignation spelled the end of Johnson, responds with a resounding no.
Sunaku fails to score a turning point
In the town of Workington, another ex-Labour stronghold that has recently swung towards Brexit and the Tories, residents are also following the debate closely – and have mixed impressions. “I’d rather have a choice, none of the alternatives impress me,” says one man. And another resident explains: “Trusi was calm and controlled. Sunaku was a bit rude, he interrupted me often, this irritates me. But he had more charm.”
At the end of the night, it doesn’t look like Sunak’s performance has sparked the turnaround he needs over Truss, the poll favourite. Over the next six weeks, both candidates will again appear in debates and in front of party members. But the first ballots will be sent in a few days./ DW
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