Liz Truss

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will go head-to-head in a TV debate after the battle to become the next prime minister became toxic with the two rival…

The Truss campaign had said that as prime minister she would increase the UK’s frontline Border Force by 20% and double the Border Force Maritime staffing levels, with Ms Truss claiming that her plan to tackle illegal migration would be given a strong legal foundation by the new UK Bill of Rights. Allies of Ms Truss also queried a suggestion from Mr Sunak that illegal migrants could be housed on cruise ships, something the Truss camp suggested would amount to arbitrary detention and a breach of both domestic and international law. Calling the current system “broken”, he offered a 10-point plan on Sunday that included a commitment to a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared to that from the ECHR, with enhanced powers to detain, tag and monitor illegal migrants.

The two contenders once again launched bitter attacks on one another in their first head-to-head TV debate.

Truss then hit back: “Rishi that is not true. “Now, I don’t think that’s right, I don’t think it’s responsible and it’s certainly not Conservative and that’s what I wouldn’t do as prime minister.” Sunak hit back: “I remember the referendum campaign and there was only one of us on the side of Remain and Project Fear and that was you.”

MPs urge candidates to pull out of TV debates as Dorries ups the ante with mockery of former chancellor's footwear.

“It’s really important we have that debate because we’ve been having a slightly intellectual proxy debate but under the surface for months and not in public or in substantive terms.” He said that “on current trajectory”, the Conservative party would be out of power in two years’ time. Another felt the TV debates had been a “huge mistake” and “done nothing other than to portray the Conservative party as at war with itself”. So you’re left with a rather nasty taste in the mouth.” Mark Harper, a former chief whip, quipped: “Our next prime minister will need the mettle to deal with some serious global and domestic challenges over the coming months and years. But Dorries, who is backing the foreign secretary, went public with criticism of Sunak’s expensive attire after his campaign emphasised his family’s humble beginnings.

The two candidates in the race to become Britain's next prime minister have clashed bitterly over the economy in a heated first head-to-head TV debate.

The debate then quickly turned to personal insults and comments about about the cost of the two candidates’ clothing. But the audience – entirely made up of Tory voters in Stoke – did clap Sunak when he gave his former boss a 10/10 for his efforts to resolve the Brexit paralysis. The first of a number of one-on-one hustings comes amid a bad-tempered contest which has seen the two candidates to replace Boris Johnson trade personal barbs and clash on the economy and tax. Sunak repeatedly interrupted his rival in the early stages, as they clashed over when to pay back Covid debts and the allegation that the former chancellor’s economic plan would push the UK into recession. Truss said she would put an economic growth plan in place ‘immediately’ if she gets the keys to Number 10. Foreign secretary and favourite Liz Truss accused former chancellor Rishi Sunak of a plan that would ‘crash the economy’, during the fractious BBC clash this evening.

Labour dismisses Conservative leadership hopeful's plan for minimum service levels as unworkable.

NHS staff are to receive a rise of at least 4.5%, while teachers will have at least a 5% increase. Both teaching and health unions have warned of potential strike action over the latest pay offers. I will do everything in my power to make sure that militant action from trade unions can no longer cripple the vital services that hard-working people rely on.” “Truss is proposing to make effective trade unionism illegal in Britain and to rob working people of a key democratic right,” he said. Rail services are to be severely disrupted from Wednesday, with thousands of workers at Network Rail and 14 train operators striking. Truss has also pledged to raise ballot thresholds from 40% to 50% of employees.

We'll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest UK politics & policy news every morning. Liz Truss, foreign secretary, has proposed sweeping ...

Rishi Sunak replied: 'I remember the referendum campaign, there was only one person on the side of remain, project fear, and it was you.

Ms Truss failed to “disown” Ms Dorries' remarks, saying: “I am not going to give Rishi fashion advice. “I just don’t think it’s going to happen," she went on to say. She later said: “This Chancellor has raised taxes to the highest rate in 70 years and we’re now predicted a recession. I’m not going to give him fashion advice. The two Tory leadership hopefuls were also asked about Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries - who is backing Ms Truss - criticising Mr Sunak’s expensive wardrobe, while praising the foreign secretary's more modest clothes. “It means it will lead to a recession.

Tory has infighting heated up as Nadine Dorries was mocked for comparing how much Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak spend on their clothing.

The bill was reportedly negotiated down to £1,400. Cabinet Office minister and Conservative MP, Johnny Mercer, said the race to be the next prime minister was becoming embarrassing. She was contrasting the foreign secretary with rival ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who was reported to be wearing a £3,500 suit and £490 Prada shoes last week.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss pledged to crack down on Chinese-owned companies such as social-media giant TikTok Inc. as she traded blows with Rishi Sunak in ...

'I didn't think the mistakes he made were sufficient that the Conservative Party should have rejected him', Ms Truss said.

He said: “For me, the simple answer is no, I think we need to look forward at this point. I’ve put myself forward as a candidate because I think I’m the right person to do the job, and I don’t believe he would want further involvement. Pressed on the issue, she said: “I just don’t think it’s going to happen.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss trashed each other's economic plans as the Tory leadership TV showdown descended into another blue-on-blue attack.

In delivering a solution to Brexit and winning an election that’s a 10/10 – you’ve got to give the guy credit for that, no-one else could probably have done that.” “And I am nothing but enormously grateful for everything that they did for me. She later said: “This Chancellor has raised taxes to the highest rate in 70 years and we’re now predicted a recession. She ran the local chemist in Southampton. That’s why I grew up working in the shop, delivering medicines. “But what we do need to do is acknowledge that China is a threat to our national security, it’s a threat to our economic security, and that’s why as chancellor I was pleased that we could put forward something called the National Security Investment Bill.” We cannot allow that to happen.” The Foreign Secretary said: “Winchester is a very, very good school, and I would love people for right across the country to have the opportunity to go to a school like that.” I worked as a waiter at the Indian restaurant, down the road. “And I’m standing here because of the hard work, the sacrifice and love of my parents and the opportunities they provided to me, and that’s why I want to be prime minister because I want to ensure that everyone, your children and grandchildren have the very same opportunities that I had.” It means it will lead to a recession. Sunak has said he believes that as prime minister he could bring “a sense of optimism, excitement and opportunity across the country” through the levelling up agenda, and give people “enormous pride” in their local area. “It’s going to tip millions of people into misery and it’s going to mean we have absolutely no chance of winning the next election either.”

Mr Sunak, who has been trailing Ms Truss in the polls, came out swinging with an aggressive performance.

A spokesman for the Foreign Secretary said: “Rishi Sunak has tonight proven he is not fit for office. “These two continuity candidates gave their now familiar chorus of unfunded spending promises, bitter attacks, and a trashing of the Tories’ 12 years in government. And I’m certainly not going to apologise for the fact that they worked hard, and they aspired to do that for their kids. And I am still working with the Prime Minister.” Mr Sunak attempted to refute claims that he is too privileged to lead the country, saying: “My parents were part of an immigrant family that came here. The ex-Chancellor is intent on highlighting the possibility that his opponent’s policies could push up interest rates by hundreds of pounds a month for the average mortgage borrower.

Leadership candidates ignored calls from fellow Conservatives not to 'tarnish the brand' as they wrangled over tax cuts, inflation and relations with China.

Allies of Sunak have suggested he will take numerous broadcast opportunities in order to highlight one of his own strengths versus Truss’s perceived weakness. “He came across like a public school mansplainer,” said one. I’m not going to give him fashion advice,” said Truss, when challenged about Dorries’ comments. “I am not going to give Rishi fashion advice. Truss said: “Rishi, that is not true. “That is the country’s credit card. “I am sure he will have a role. He needs a well-earned break.” But Downing Street responded by insisting Johnson will leave the post when a new leader is chosen. The OECD has described Rishi’s policies as contractionary.” No other country is putting up taxes at this moment. Sunak, whose resignation from cabinet on the same day as Sajid Javid precipitated the ousting of Johnson, paid tribute to Johnson as “remarkable” but said he had reached a point where “enough was enough”.

Claim: Rishi Sunak is an 'LA-based, Goldman Sachs banker who went to a school for the uber-elite'. The attacks were made by members within the Truss campaign, ...

The Global Times also wrote a piece highlighting Mr Sunak as the least aggressive when it came to relations with Beijing – but whether pragmatism can be framed as being “soft” on China will have to be left to the Tory members. She believes that the debt should be viewed like a war-time debt, and paid over a longer period. The Sunak campaign has controversially suggested asylum seekers could be housed in cruise ships to avoid the expensive use of hotels. Team Sunak also suggested it showed Ms Truss as someone who is quick to change her position, highlighting her past as a “Liberal Democrat, Remainer and a Cameroon”. However, this was at a time of completely different UK-Sino relations, when David Cameron and George Osborne wanted to establish a new “golden era” between the two countries. The Sunak camp has been heavily briefing that the Foreign Secretary’s claim to be a China “hawk” is a relatively new stance.

Ms Truss said this when asked how she would fund her plans for a series of tax cuts - one of the dividing lines between her and Mr Sunak. Fiscal headroom is a ...

They denied this but Brexit is one of the main factors involved. The change means more staff and bigger facilities are now required to make the checks. The UK has secured trade agreements with over 60 countries since the Brexit vote. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies has pointed out that inflation will eat into that figure. However, over the last decade installation rates have fallen. For example, the government's increases to public sector pay will cost billions.

Hitting out the foreign secretary's £30bn-plus tax cut plans, the former chancellor claimed there was “nothing Conservative” about her approach, with the party ...

“These two continuity candidates gave their now familiar chorus of unfunded spending promises, bitter attacks, and a trashing of the Tories’ 12 years in government. In delivering a solution to Brexit and winning an election that’s a 10/10 – you’ve got to give the guy credit for that, no one else could probably have done that.” “This chancellor has raised taxes to the highest rate in 70 years and we’re now predicted a recession,” she said. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

After a televised Conservative leadership debate exposed the stark divisions among rivals vying to be the next UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak turned to Liz ...

The UK foreign secretary remains in pole position in the race for 10 Downing Street.

Questions about the role of Brexit in last week’s border crisis were reduced to a simplistic yes/no format. And despite the bitter attacks ongoing behind the scenes, up on the stage Truss insisted she would still offer Sunak a position in her government. Monday night saw significant time devoted to questions about Johnson, who appointed both candidates to two of the most senior roles in his government. On multiple occasions the BBC’s Sophie Raworth, acting as referee, was forced to step in and request Sunak let Truss have space to answer. One spokesperson for the Truss campaign went even further, telling the Times newspaper that Sunak had “tonight proven he is not fit for office.” But this time round the same pollster found Truss and Sunak were almost neck and neck among voters across the U.K. The personal attacks from both candidates were relentless during a long initial segment on tax policy. In the event, the foreign secretary did exactly what she needed to do. Sunak is quickly running out of time to turn things around. In an hour of primetime political TV, the candidates and presenters rarely touched on totemic issues such as Britain’s National Health Service, or rising crime. For her part, Truss compared Sunak to the former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and said Sunak’s criticisms of her tax proposals were reminiscent of the “Project Fear” campaign run by those supporting a Remain vote in the Brexit referendum. It’s early days, but she appears on course for No. 10.

RISHI Sunak and Liz Truss have clashed noisily and repeatedly in the first head-to-head TV debate of the Tory leadership debate, arguing over the…

And crashing the economy in order to pay a debt back quicker is a massive mistake,” she said. And it's going to mean that we absolutely have no chance of winning the next election either.” However Ms Truss said she would act “immediately” by reversing the increase in National Insurance and have a temporary moratorium on the green levy on fuel bills. She said she would also put in place a growth plan for the economy, taking advantage of “post-Brexit opportunities”. Ms Truss said: “Rishi that is not true, under my plans, we would start paying down the debts in three years time, Covid was a one in 100 years event, no other country is putting up taxes at this moment, the OECD has described Rishi’s policies as contractionary.” Ms Truss said: “Under my plans, we would start paying back the debt in three years time, so I’m not putting it on the never never.”

Liz Truss announced new measures aimed at preventing trade unions from causing disruption on strategic rail routes and other national services.

“The steps she has announced today will finally allow the government to take back control from trade union barons and deliver the economic growth we need to put money back in hard-working families’ pockets.” “I will do everything in my power to make sure that militant action from trade unions can no longer cripple the vital services that hard-working people rely on.” Liz Truss has pledged to do “everything in her power” to ensure “militant action” from trade unions can no longer “paralyse” the economy if she wins the Tory leadership contest.

The Tory leadership contender said she will introduce legislation targeting “militant action” from trade unions in the first 30 days of taking office if she ...

She added: “The right to strike is an important British freedom. Unions, however, described the measures as an attack on the right to strike which were “unfair and unworkable”. I will do everything in my power to make sure that militant action from trade unions can no longer cripple the vital services that hard-woking people rely on”.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former chancellor Rishi Sunak held their first head-to-head debate as part of the race to succeed Boris Johnson as Conservative ...

They denied this but Brexit is one of the main factors involved. The change means more staff and bigger facilities are now required to make the checks. The UK has secured trade agreements with over 60 countries since the Brexit vote. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies has pointed out that inflation will eat into that figure. However, over the last decade installation rates have fallen. For example, the government's increases to public sector pay will cost billions.

The economy dominated as Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss took part in their first head-to-head TV debate.

You can also get in touch in the following ways: We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a Labour government," he said. He refused to criticise Mr Sunak for interrupting, but said viewers would have to make up their own minds about his debating style. She later said the Brexit referendum was when she had learnt not to trust Treasury forecasts on the economy. He said Mr Sunak was acting like he had "just come down from the moon" and discovered the economy was in a bad way when he had been in charge of it until three weeks ago, while Ms Truss was playing "fantasy economics" without explaining how she would pay for tax cuts. The pair were on better terms by the end of the debate, with Ms Truss saying she would "love" to have Mr Sunak on her team if she becomes PM. The ex-chancellor praised her stance on Russia.

Former Chancellor Mr Sunak also defended the policy - despite the UK standing to lose millions of pounds if it doesn't go ahead - and vowed to introduce a ...

She said: “As Prime Minister I will unleash the full potential of Britain post-Brexit, and accelerate plans to get EU law off our statute books.” It's a priority for the country." It is a priority for me.

We've taken a closer look at the claims made by the final two contenders to be the next Prime Minister.

However, there have been many other changes announced in the system of taxes and benefits that affect how much money working people keep, and receive, from the government. As we wrote at the time, these varying claims were all based on slightly differing estimates for the predicted and historic tax burden. However, the IFS has also noted that Ms Truss has “hinted” she may change the current fiscal rules. (The additional rate—for incomes over £150,000—was cut from 50% to 45% in 2013.) And the National Institute of Economic and Social Research has forecast consecutive contractions in Q3 and Q4 this year. It states that “GDP is projected to increase by 3.6% in 2022, before stagnating in 2023”. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has also written an analysis of Mr Sunak and Ms Truss’ tax and spending plans. Ms Truss seemed to refer to one of these rules when she said in the debate that debt should be on course to fall as a share of national income in three years’ time. On the BBC Today programme on 21 July, Ms Truss was asked if her plans would cost £38 billion. However, the rise in inflation since then may have affected this figure. Mr Sunak claimed that his plans include the first cut to income tax in 16 years, and that his plans would “deliver tax cuts in this parliament for working people”. We’ll be continuing to cover the leadership contest in the coming days and weeks.

The economy dominated as Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss took part in their first head-to-head TV debate.

You can also get in touch in the following ways: We need a fresh start for Britain. We need a Labour government," he said. He refused to criticise Mr Sunak for interrupting, but said viewers would have to make up their own minds about his debating style. She later said the Brexit referendum was when she had learnt not to trust Treasury forecasts on the economy. He said Mr Sunak was acting like he had "just come down from the moon" and discovered the economy was in a bad way when he had been in charge of it until three weeks ago, while Ms Truss was playing "fantasy economics" without explaining how she would pay for tax cuts. The pair were on better terms by the end of the debate, with Ms Truss saying she would "love" to have Mr Sunak on her team if she becomes PM. The ex-chancellor praised her stance on Russia.

Keir Starmer has said a Labour Government would fix “broken” water and energy markets through regulation before nationalising the railways because of ...

Do get in touch with anything we’ve missed at [email protected]. The report, published by centre-right think tank Public Policy Projects (PPP), comes as the Conservative leadership debate focuses on tax cuts. This morning, politicians have been sharing their views. Meanwhile, MP David Davis dismissed the suggestion that Rishi Sunak was “mansplaining” to Liz Truss as “spin”. He told Sky News: “Sometimes it’s important to intervene in debates.” Simon Clarke, chief secretary to the Treasury and a supporter of Liz Truss, has said the 7% mortgage interest rates figure brought up in the debate by Rishi Sunak “is not part of Liz Truss’s plans”. We’ve got to recognise that after the pandemic we’re in a different situation financially to the situation that we were in before, and we want a responsible government that says if we’re going to do something we will tell you how we’re going to pay for it.

Analysis: claims by ex-chancellor about Foreign Office weakness towards Beijing look like an attempt to head off a similar attack on him.

Truss has already got herself in hot water with the sinophile Johnson government by saying the UK should learn from the mistakes of Ukraine and proffer arms to Taiwan to help the country deter a Chinese invasion. The one thing the UK could not afford was to be ignorant about China. Kearns had argued that universities were being weaponised and were part of a Chinese hybrid warfare. Critics of Kearns said recent academic studies had suggested Confucius Institutes do not have the malign influence the detractors claim. In a country in search of growth, alienating Chinese state-controlled markets may not thrill British business. It looked a clear attempt to set up a dividing line between Sunak’s Treasury-led orthodoxy on China, and her call for a more robust approach.

Truss is up against Rishi Sunak in the race to become the leader of the Conservative Party and therefore PM of the country. In the first live broadcast head-to- ...

Voting closes at 5 pm on 2nd September and the winner, our new PM, will be announced on 5th September. Truss said: “We absolutely should be cracking down on those types of companies, and we should be limiting the amount of technology exports we do to authoritarian regimes.” Truss is up against Rishi Sunak in the race to become the leader of the Conservative Party and therefore PM of the country.

Ex-chancellor has called China the UK's 'biggest long-term threat' - but Beijing has told Britain's politicians 'not to solve their own problems by ...

“If anyone needs saving from anything, it’s the world, from the stupidity and ignorance of British politicians.” Trade between China and the UK surpassed £93bn in 2021, an increase of 11.8 per cent compared with the previous year. “We’ve seen Western politicians talk tough but act soft. “I would like to advise individual British politicians… While Mr Sunak and Ms Truss have both pledged to get tough on China, analysts in Beijing say this stance has done little in terms of policy in the past, and described it as “short-sighted”, state media outlet China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported on Monday. “Chinese political analysts have a positive image and a better view of Rishi Sunak and expect that Rishi as the next prime minister would be better for China-UK ties,” Professor Mahapatra wrote in an opinion article for Firstpost.

The Tory leadership race favourite was captured shaking her head as the former chancellor talked over her – prompting accusations that Mr Sunak was guilty of ...

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. “When we’re in the Commons, we have these comparatively fierce exchanges lots of times, all the time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

The debate kicked off at 9pm on BBC One with a particularly odd introduction. Both candidates stood next to each other, with their backs to the audience, ...

While Sunak quit the cabinet earlier this month, he, like Truss, held a senior ministerial role in Johnson’s government for years. The debate kicked off at 9pm on BBC One with a particularly odd introduction. “I can address this issue about me very directly. Truss gave him a “seven out of 10” for his premiership, which is not surprising because she has repeatedly said she is still loyal to Johnson (she is still foreign secretary in his cabinet), and did not want him to leave No.10 – even though he lost the support of the party. He left out the part where his family paid for a substantial private education at Winchester College, that he has since married the daughter of a multi-billionaire and become a millionaire in his own right. Despite the two pulling out of a previous debate in a bid to make the contest more civil, they still ended up pulling chunks out of one another in a bitter battle on the BBC last night.