Best of frenemies? Rishi Sunak wishes Liz Truss a happy birthday – and steers away from ‘mansplaining’ – as Tory leadership contenders put aside mud-slinging in second TV debate
- Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are going head-to-head for second time in two days
- Tory leadership hopefuls – who are vying to be PM – face off in a TalkTV event
- Their clash on the BBC last night saw bitter personal exchanges on the economy
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss put aside the blue-on-blue attacks tonight as they went head-to-head on live TV for a second time in two days.
In calmer exchanges than last night’s bitter BBC clash, the two Tory leadership contenders faced questions on the NHS and cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Sunak began the TalkTV/The Sun event by offering Ms Truss his best wishes as the Foreign Secretary celebrates her 47th birthday.
The ex-chancellor also steered clear of interrupting Ms Truss, as he did frequently during the BBC event and which drew accusations of ‘mansplaining’.
As they were quizzed by a Sun reader on the NHS, Mr Sunak admitted he was ‘getting a lot of flak’ for his decision to raise National Insurance contributions while he was in the Treasury.
But he defended the tax hike, which he branded an ‘NHS levy’, as a means of pumping more cash into the health service after the Covid crisis.
‘I don’t think we can have an NHS… that is underfunded and unable to deliver the care we need,’ he said.
Ms Truss committed to the extra £39billion being put into the NHS and social care, but said there was not a need to raise National Insurance in order to fund it.
‘It was a choice to break our manifesto commitment,’ she said, as she noted the Tories’ pre-election promise not to hike income tax, national insurance or VAT.
The Tory leadership hopefuls – who are both vying to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister – are facing each other in a TalkTV/The Sun event
The Foreign Secretary and ex-Chancellor are going head-to-head for a second time in two days tonight in another TV debate
Liz Truss spoke to Conservative Party members at an event at Fontwell Park racecourse, West Sussex, before tonight’s debate
The Foreign Secretary, who is celebrating her 47th birthday today, refused to enter a fresh slanging match with Rishi Sunak as she quizzed about the ex-chancellor’s ‘mansplaining’
Ahead of tonight’s debate, the Foreign Secretary spent the day campaigning in Sussex, while Mr Sunak was in Stanmore, north London.
Ms Truss refused to enter a fresh slanging match with Mr Sunak as she quizzed about the ex-chancellor’s ‘mansplaining’ during last night’s brutal TV debate on the BBC.
The pair had been urged to tone down their brutal blue-on-blue attacks on each other as they prepared to go toe-to-toe on live television for a second time.
The Foreign Secretary vowed not ‘to criticise the other candidate in this race’ as both her camp and Mr Sunak’s reflected on the fall-out from their first head-to-head clash.
‘I’m not going to criticise the other candidate in this race,’ she told Sky News.
‘I am putting forward a positive case about what we need to change in Britain to unleash the potential of people across this country.’
But Ms Truss – although declining to engage in personal barbs – claimed Mr Sunak’s plans for the economy would be a ‘disaster’ for homeowners, businesses and workers.
She was asked about the new IMF world economic update, which was viewed as a boost for Mr Sunak’s claim that not cutting taxes immediately and keeping spending down is the right path.
Ms Truss added: ‘Let’s be clear, his plan is to raise taxes. He is planning to raise taxes on corporations, putting our taxes up to the same level as France.
‘That is going to put off people who want to invest in Britain. And I know there are masses of opportunities right across the country.
‘Less investment will mean fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, lower wages and lower productivity in the future. So it’s cutting off our nose to spite our face.’
Mr Sunak was campaigning in Stanmore, north London ahead of the TalkTV/The Sun head-to-head event with Ms Truss
A new IMF world economic update was viewed as a boost for Mr Sunak’s claim that not cutting taxes immediately and keeping spending down is the right path
The Foreign Secretary quoted the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on the UK’s economic policy.
She said the body had branded Britain’s approach ‘contractionary’, adding: ‘And what that means is it will lead to a recession. A recession would be a disaster.
‘It would be a disaster for people who are homeowners. It would be a disaster for people who go out to work. It would be a disaster for people who run businesses.
‘That is why I want to keep taxes low, attract the investment, get the growth. That’s the best way to pay down our debt.’
Mr Sunak has claimed there is ‘nothing Conservative’ about Ms Truss’s approach to cutting taxes and pumping up borrowing.
After last night’s BBC debate, a YouGov snap poll of 507 Conservative Party members found Ms Truss was seen as having performed better, with 50 per cent saying so to Mr Sunak’s 39 per cent.
Similarly, eight in ten (78 per cent) Tory members who watched the BBC debate said that Ms Truss performed well, with two-thirds (65 per cent) saying this of Mr Sunak.
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