The remaining two candidates in the race to be next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minster of the UK went head-to-head in a live TV debate on Monday, in what quickly descended into a contest to see who could speak the loudest.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak battled it out live on BBC One from a studio in Stoke-on-Trent - a key political battleground for the Tory Party - in an effort to win over the Tory members who will eventually vote for their winner. Following the debate, allies of Ms Truss were reported to have said Mr Sunak had demonstrated “aggressive mansplaining and shouty private school behaviour" by constantly talking over his rival and refusing to let her get her points across.
Tory MP and former Brexit Secretary David Davis dismissed the suggestion that Rishi Sunak was “mansplaining” to Liz Truss as “spin.” Speaking to Sky News, he said: “Sometimes it’s important to intervene in debates.
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“When we’re in the Commons we have these comparatively fierce exchanges all the time. This is a debate to find the Prime Minister of this country.
"Facing a time when the decisions are going to be really tough. We need the person who knows what he stands for, is courageous enough to take the difficult decisions and determined enough to do it.
"And that’s Rishi Sunak.”
However, Sunak’s persistent talking over of his rival has not gone down well with the public, as many viewers took to social media to voice their frustrations. On Twitter, @cragster19 said: “What an utterly disagreeable nasty man Rishi Sunak has shown himself to be!”
While @puddydoody said: “Rishi really needs to learn to shut up and let Liz answer. Are they the best of Tory? We are doomed.”
The morning after the debate, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC he only watched “as much as he could bear” and that the Conservative Party has "lost the plot".
A Liberal Democrat spokesperson simply said “eurgh.”
The pair are set to go head to head again tonight (July 26), in another debate to be broadcast live on TalkTV.
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