Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak battled it out live on BBC One on Monday evening, in the first of a series of live TV debates intended to help win over the Tory members who will decide who will become the next Prime Minister.
The first showdown saw the two rivals for the Tory leadership trash each other’s economic plans, while personal attacks continued as Mr Sunak was accused by allies of Ms Truss of “mansplaining.” Sunak also sought to stress his decision to quit Boris Johnson’s government as a sign he acts according to his principles while Truss stressed her loyalty to her current boss.
The suggestion from a snap poll following Monday’s debate is that Rishi Sunak came out on top , but bookmakers currently have Liz Truss as their favourite to be elected leader on September 5. The Foreign Secretary and former Chancellor are set to clash for the second time in 24 hours on Tuesday evening.
