The two politicians who are fighting to become the leader of the Tories and the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, met on Monday evening for a televised debate. In the studio sat ordinary Britons struggling with increased living costs. Many of them said they have trouble paying their electricity bills in addition to more expensive food and fuel. The two politicians quickly went at each other’s throats about what they can do to improve ordinary people’s finances. Rishi Sunak was finance minister until three weeks ago when he broke with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Photo: Jacob King / AP While Truss wants immediate tax cuts, Sunak says he wants to have the price increase under control before he cuts taxes. – Raising taxes the way Sunak wants will stifle all economic growth, said Truss. – Your plan will lead to an interest rate of 7 per cent and to violent inflation, replied former finance minister Sunak. China the new Russia? In the televised debate, both candidates accused each other of having been naive in their view of China. – You want more trade with China and closer trade with China, said Truss. – But you said that the relationship between Great Britain and China has reached a golden era, Sunak replied. – That quote must be almost ten years old, replied Truss. – We must not make the same mistake as we have made with Russia, continued Truss, who is the British foreign minister. – European countries have made themselves far too dependent on Russian oil and gas, the foreign minister continued. Throwing dirt about expensive shoes According to the British media, it will be a dirty election campaign. We got a taste of what’s to come in the TV debate on Monday evening. Minister of Culture Nadine Dorries. Photo: PHIL NOBLE / Reuters One of the ministers who supports Lizz Truss wholeheartedly and contributes to the mudslinging is Culture Minister Nadine Dorries. She ridicules Rishi Sunak’s extravagant lifestyle. This quickly became the topic of the evening’s TV broadcast. Sky News refers to the culture minister who claims that Sunak was recently pictured in a suit that costs £3,500, about NOK 42,000 and in Prada shoes for £490, about NOK 6,000. The Minister of Culture believes it is likely that Lizz Truss, on the other hand, will wear earrings for £4.50, about NOK 55. In the debate, Truss did not want to criticize Sunak’s expensive suits and shoes. Liz Truss believes she will make the best Prime Minister of the two. She did not want to criticize Sunak for expensive suits and shoes as the Minister of Culture does. Photo: Jacob King / AP Foreign media are also interested in Sunak’s taste for expensive suits and shoes. German Deutsche Welle claims that Rishi Sunak was recently pictured on a construction site with shoes worth 500 euros, about NOK 5,000. Extravagant lifestyle to trouble? Rishi Sunak has recently had a swimming pool, gym and tennis court built on his property in North Yorkshire. Just heating the water in the pool is estimated to cost over NOK 150,000 annually. It resonates poorly with many who have to choose whether to spend their money on food or to pay bills. Sunak’s lifestyle has led people to ask whether he has the qualifications to understand how ordinary people experience the pressure on energy prices and in the economy in general. As finance minister during the pandemic, Sunak became popular for providing support packages to the needy. But he has also increased the level of taxation, which has not been as popular in the Conservative Party. At the same time, he has received criticism from the opposition for not helping the many who are no longer able to pay their bills due to increased expenses. He is adamant that it is not right to lower the tax level now, but says that is the goal over time. Not a smooth election campaign for Truss Truss has been described as a favorite to succeed Boris Johnson. But her election campaign has not gone smoothly. She struggled in the competition with relatively unknown politicians, but still reached the final in the end. She has a reputation for getting things done. As foreign minister, she has, among other things, noted for harsh sanctions against Russia. She was also able to collect a political victory when she obtained the release of British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from many years of captivity in Iran. But critics in her own party also make fun of her when she chooses to dress like Margaret Thatcher. Not everyone has the sense that she is trying to copy the former iron woman in British politics, writes Deutsche Welle. Truss wants to shrink the state and have lower taxes. The loss of income must be covered by paying off the country’s debt over a longer period. Truss is a favorite Truss has already received a clear favorite stamp. According to opinion polls, she clearly has the most support among her own party members. Liz Truss. Photo: Alastair Grant / AP Sunak, for his part, appeals to a majority of voters, regardless of which wing they belong to. At the same time, Truss is an enigma, writes Sky News. Mediehuset points out that in her youth she was a member of another party, the Liberal Democrats – and that she was against Brexit for a long time. Both court the right wing of the party, and both support the controversial proposal to send asylum seekers with a one-way ticket to Rwanda, so that they can apply for asylum there. Boris with “camouflaged” support for Truss Johnson has not given his official support to any of his potential successors. Boris Johnson with camouflaged support for Truss. Photo: PETER NICHOLLS / AFP But the prime minister made something that is interpreted as a jab at his former finance minister and current leadership candidate Rishi Sunak in his closing speech to the House of Commons. – I love the Ministry of Finance, but if we had always listened to the Ministry of Finance, we would never have had the M25 (a motorway) or the tunnel under the (English) Channel built. That statement – in combination with the fact that he encouraged his successor to fight for Britain in the world – can be interpreted as a sign that he wants Foreign Minister Liz Truss to become the new British Prime Minister. Change in view of Brexit and China They are also both convinced Brexit supporters, now. According to Deutsche Welle, Truss was opposed to Brexit in the past, but she is said to have said that it was a mistake on her part. While Truss is said to have changed his view on Brexit, Sunak is said to have changed his view on China policy. Sunak has said China poses the biggest long-term threat to Britain and has vowed to close 30 Confucius Institutes if he becomes prime minister. The institutes are funded by the Chinese state and teach Chinese language and culture, but have been accused of spreading Chinese propaganda. Sunak’s opponents believe he has turned the issue around, and that he has previously pushed for an economic agreement with China, writes NTB.
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Truss and Sunak in intense TV debate on Monday evening – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
