Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak put the economy centre stage on Monday as the two rivals bidding to become Britain’s next Prime Minister prepared for a crunch TV showdown.
Both Tory leadership candidates said they would revitalise London’s economy following the pandemic with the Foreign Secretary insisting that her plan for “full fat” freeports would look to transform the capital and other parts of the country in the same way as the Docklands regeneration in the Eighties.
But in an apparent swipe at Ms Truss’s economic plans, Mr Sunak said that unleashing Britain’s economic growth required “honesty, experience and a clear plan”. He added that his track record as chancellor showed that he was best placed to help Britain’s economy avert a recession later this year.
Ms Truss contrasted her vision for low tax, light-touch regulation investment zones to Mr Sunak’s own plans for freeports, saying hers would “turbo-charge” growth.
She added: “We can’t carry on allowing Whitehall to pick the winners and losers; like we’ve seen with the current freeport model. Investment Zones will play a central role in achieving economic growth across the UK, including in London, and I am keen to see areas ripe for redevelopment become hubs of activity — like what was achieved with the Docklands Development Corporation in the 1980s.”
Mr Sunak said: “Britain’s economy has endless potential; fizzing with talent and innovation. As chancellor I implemented one of the fastest and most comprehensive pandemic responses anywhere in the world. Because of this, the UK had the fastest growth rate of the G7 in 2021. I’m immensely proud of this record, especially in London and the South-East which has one of the most vibrant tech sectors in the world, but there is so much more we can do to unlock the economic potential of the UK and our great capital.”
After a weekend of trading blows on tax cuts, immigration and China’s threat to national security, the rivals go head-to-head on BBC1 this evening in a clash which could help sway the 160,000 Tory party members who will choose the UK’s next leader by September 5.
The debate is being seen in Westminster as a make or break moment for both candidates because many Tory activists are expected to vote early in the contest with ballot papers due to arrive next week.
But with Ms Truss enjoying a comfortable lead in the polls, Mr Sunak is under pressure to use the live debates and 12 later party hustings events to try to close the gap on the Foreign Secretary.
Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary who lost to Boris Johnson in the 2019 Tory leadership contest and is now backing Mr Sunak after being eliminated in the first round this time, told Sky News: “It’s all to play for.”
“At this stage in the previous leadership campaign I was a long way behind Boris Johnson. But the difference between this time and last time, because of Brexit, a lot of Conservative Party members had firmly made up their minds. This time the polls show a lot of people are still making up their minds, they haven’t made their final decision.”
The BBC debate is taking place in Stoke-on-Trent, one of the so-called red wall constituencies which turned to Mr Johnson’s Conservatives at the 2019 general election for the first time.
Katy Searle, interim controller of programmes and commissioning for BBC News, said: “The key to tonight’s debate will be to get the candidates to properly engage with each other and tell the country why they are the best person to be our next Prime Minister.” But some Conservative MPs are desperate to avoid a repeat of earlier TV debates when rivals tore into each other over their plans. Last week former Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis admitted they had damaged the party.
However, just hours before the debate members of both camps renewed the “blue-on-blue” attacks with Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, a supporter of Ms Truss, taking aim at Mr Sunak over his expensive shoes.
Ms Dorries said Ms Truss “will be travelling the country wearing her earrings which cost circa £4.50 from Claire (sic) Accessories. Meanwhile... Rishi visits Teeside (sic) in Prada shoes worth £450 and sported £3,500 bespoke suit.”
Guildford MP Angela Richardson, a supporter of Mr Sunak, shot back: “FFS (for f*** sake) Nadine! Muted.”
