Truss and Sunak clash over taxes in acrimonious debate to succeed Boris Johnson

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, candidates to succeed Boris Johnson as head of the British Government, staged a harsh debate on Monday with continuous interruptions, in which the greatest discrepancies came due to their fiscal policy plans.

Despite the fact that the debate televised by the BBC public channel ended with displays of mutual admiration between the opponents, the Foreign Minister and the former Minister of Economy put their great differences on different issues on the table.

“There is genuine disagreement, like on taxes. Our differences are serious, they are not childishTruss said at one point.

The head of British diplomacy, who recalled that she disagrees with the Conservative Party’s decision to force Johnson’s resignation, enjoys a significant advantage in the polls among the 160,000 ‘Tory’ members called to vote to elect the new leader of their formation , who will automatically become prime minister.

[Rishi Sunak y Liz Truss competirán por suceder a Boris Johnson al frente del Partido Conservador]

Because of that situationSunak clearly went on the attackinterrupting his interlocutor on numerous occasions and disqualifying his proposals.

As the best speaker, the former finance minister – whose resignation on July 5 precipitated Johnson’s departure – won applause on several occasions from the public, made up of “Tory” sympathizers from the English town of Stoke-on-Trent, who in the last elections he voted conservative for the first time.

Despite everything Truss defended herself without losing her composure and launched several poison darts at her rival. The first polls point to a tie between the two.

Raise or lower taxes

Both opened the debate by paying tribute to the Northern Irish unionist politician David Trimble, architect of the Good Friday Agreement, whose death was announced minutes before the face-to-face began. Immediately, their discrepancies about taxes, which have marked the primary campaign so far, came to the fore.

“Should we pay the pandemic bill ourselves or put it on the country’s credit card and pass on the debt of our children and grandchildren? That is not responsible,” Sunak snapped at Truss on account of her purpose of lowering taxes.

The Foreign Minister stressed that her intention would be to start repaying these loans in three years and reminded the former Economy Minister that “no country is paying that debt now.”

“Your own economic adviser has recognized that this would force interest rates to rise to 7%. Think what that means for everyone who is paying a mortgage,” Sunak launched, to which Truss replied that “everyone knows that raising taxes now will hurt the economy.

Truss’s “ideological” travels

Sunak used the changes of opinion that her adversary has had in the past as a throwing weapon, especially in reference to Brexit, which the head of British diplomacy initially opposed.

“I remember the referendum and that here there was a person in favor of leaving the EU and another to continue, and that was you“, criticized Johnson’s former ally.

“And I have learned,” Truss replied, before saying that if the consultation were held today, he would vote to leave the EU. The former minister and former investment banker also referred to the “journey” that your opponent has made in his opinion on China.

“You said we were living in a golden age in relations with China,” he said. “But that was ten years ago!” Truss replied, who in turn reproached him for the fact that only a month ago he advocated increasing trade relations with the Asian giant at the head of the Treasury.

Johnson’s Shadow

In other aspects, such as the position against Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, both found more points in common, such as when ruling out any direct involvement in the war.

Asked if they would offer Johnson a position in his Government, Truss argued that he will not want to be part of the Executive, although he will retain a predominant voice. Sunak closed the doors completely to his former boss and set himself up as an example against him for his “honesty”.

[Boris Johnson se despide del Parlamento al más puro estilo ‘Terminator’: “Hasta la vista, baby”]

“He’s one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever met and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved in government. But we got to a point where I thought it’s okay now, and I acted on principle. We need a leader who is consistent with his principles,” Sunak said to applause from the audience.

“Restoring confidence is keeping your promises. When we were elected we promised not to raise taxes, and they have been raised. I am someone who keeps what I promise,” said the minister, addressing her adversary, responsible for an increase in the social contribution.

Militant “Tories” will vote by post throughout August, and on September 5 the winner will be announced. A day later, Johnson will present his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, who will entrust the new leader of the Conservative Party with the formation of a new Executive.