DAILY MAIL COMMENT: An inspiring vision can beat dull Labour
Well, that’s a relief. After a bitter, bruising contest, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have made it on to the final ballot paper to become the next Tory leader.
Whichever one is selected by the party faithful on September 5, Britain knows it will end up with a prime minister fit to assume the mantle.
This paper believes these heavyweights stood head and shoulders above the other candidates – both having proved their credentials running great offices of state.
But it was a darned close-run thing. Trade minister Penny Mordaunt missed out on a place in the run-off for Downing Street by a hair’s breadth – just eight votes.
In light of the concerns about her abilities, flip-flopping on trans rights and consorting with a controversial Muslim group, it would have been a monumental error to let her near No 10. Thank heavens her former bosses and the free Press – led by the Daily Mail – scrutinised her and sounded the alarm.
With less than two months to polling day, we now look forward to a vibrant contest of ideas between Mr Sunak and Miss Truss.
After a bitter, bruising contest, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have made it on to the final ballot paper to become the next Tory leader
Whoever emerges victorious will confront some of the most daunting challenges in modern times: An economy on the ropes, rampant inflation driving the cost-of-living crunch and war in Ukraine. They must explain how they would tackle the problems facing millions of ordinary people.
Mr Sunak is on the social democratic wing of the party. A fine chancellor who commendably kept households and businesses afloat during the pandemic, he has ruled out tax cuts until we start to pay down our eye-watering Covid debts.
However, traditional Conservatives are angry that taxes have soared to their highest since the 1940s on his watch. And many will never forgive him for delivering hemlock to Boris Johnson.
Foreign Secretary Miss Truss, meanwhile, is a true-blue Tory. Unashamedly small state and free market, she is a doer who isn’t obsessed with her image.
In these pages, she explains how she will cut taxes – including the loathed national insurance hike – to turbo-charge growth. And she will staunchly defend free speech.
But other crucial questions remain for each candidate: Will they free businesses from throttling red tape? Are they determined to deliver the benefits of Brexit and stand up to the EU over Northern Ireland?
Are they committed to tackling the Channel migrant crisis, standing up to the green lobby and woke brigade, and curbing the power of the tech giants? And if so, how? Britain needs action, not fine words.
True, the Tories are in the doldrums. But Labour is a drab Opposition. Dull Sir Keir Starmer is a policy vacuum. He doesn’t even know if a woman has a penis.
With the right policies, ambition and attention to detail, our new PM can forge an inspiring agenda to win the next election – and prevent Labour destroying Britain with a nightmarish coalition of chaos.
Boosterish brilliance
Politics can be brutal. Two weeks ago, Tory MPs made Mr Johnson drink poison. Yesterday, they gave him a standing ovation after his final Commons appearance as PM.
With characteristic wit and rhetorical panache, he made Starmer look as nimble and interesting as a traffic cone.
Yes, Boris has made errors. But these are left in the shade by his shimmering triumphs, from destroying Corbynism and delivering Brexit, to the vaccine miracle.
Two weeks ago, Tory MPs made Mr Johnson drink poison. Yesterday, they gave him a standing ovation after his final Commons appearance as PM
Thousands of Tory members demand he be allowed to run in the leadership election. And a Mail+ poll asked who would be best pick for PM. The winner by a country mile? Mr Johnson, of course.
After he was toppled, our front-page headline asked: What the hell have they done? Mr Sunak and Miss Truss must prove the Tories have not made a historic and catastrophic blunder.
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