UK: Tory leadership rivals vying for PM's post trade blows on economy, inflation and more

On July 15, candidates for the top position in the Conservative Party and the office of the UK Prime Minister engaged in a fierce debate on television. Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Kemi Badenoch, and Tom Tugendhat debated the most about rising taxes and inflation.

Tom Tugendhat performed well in the debate on Channel 4 and impressed the audience, according to British media agencies and an Opinium Research survey. On being asked about Boris Johnson and whether Tugendhat thought he was honest, Tom simply replied 'NO,' which impressed the audience. However, this could not be said of former chancellor Sunak, foreign secretary Truss, and others who slowed down the debate by delaying their straight responses. 

On July 15, Tugendhat appeared to have fared the best in the eyes of at least 36% of the voters. However, due to his 69 MP deficit over Rishi Sunak, he is anticipated to withdraw. The way Sunak justified the choices he made while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer particularly impressed the viewers. The results of the surveys indicated that 25% of the electorate agreed with Rishi Sunak's remarks.

Sunak & Truss goes head to head on economy, inflation, and taxation

Sunak and Truss, who received only 6% of the vote, went head to head on the issues of economy, inflation, and taxation. With his steadfast pledge to tackle inflation first, Rishi Sunak stood his ground. Rishi Sunak stayed steady in his assurance that he will tackle inflation head-on. On the other hand, Truss retorted that Sunak couldn't pay his way to glory by taxing others.

She expressed her disapproval of Rishi Sunak's national insurance rise but said so without any particular acuity. Harry Lambert of the New Statesman commented on Truss' performance, saying that if one were to consider her time as the UK's foreign secretary, they would recall her difficulties in responding to queries on the air. 

Further, because of her support for transgender rights, Mordaunt has continued to suffer at the hands of the culture warriors in the Conservative Party. When questioned about her stance once more, Mordaunt responded, "I'm a woman, I'm a biological woman, if I had a mastectomy I would still be a woman - I'm a biological woman in every cell in my body." The discussion, however, as well as the candidates, failed to impress the studio's audience. Only 10 participants raised their hands when the moderator asked if the debate had increased their likelihood of voting Conservative.

(Image: AP)