A DEBATE between Tory leadership hopefuls has been cancelled after two frontrunners confirmed they would not take part.
Sky News had been planning to hold a live debate between the four leading candidates to succeed Boris Johnson tomorrow evening.
But after Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak confirmed they would not be taking part, the broadcaster decided to pull the plug on the programme.
Conservative MPs are said to be worried televised debates are harming the party’s image with candidates attacking one another in recent showings and exposing deep rifts between warring internal factions, Sky News reports.
Sunak and Truss are in the top three with the backing of 101 and 65 MPs, respectively. Penny Mordaunt is in second place with 83 backers at the most recent count.
One candidate will be eliminated in a vote among Conservative MPs today – with the result expected by 8pm.
In fourth place is Kemi Badenoch, who is seen as being on the right of the party, with 49 backers.
Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the foreign affairs committee, is currently in last place with only 32 MPs backing his bid to lead the party.
Sunday night’s ITV debate saw the leading candidates accusing each other of peddling “socialist” economics and of being out of touch.
Sunak fired a taunt at Truss, with whom he served in Johnson’s Cabinet until his shock resignation earlier this month, asking her: “Which do you regret most, being a Remainer or being a Liberal Democrat?”
State-educated Truss took a pop at Sunak’s private schooling, saying that not everyone had “the opportunities you had at your school, Rishi” during the exchange.
Tugendhat accused his rivals of having “lent credibility to the chaos” by sticking by the Prime Minister as his Government collapsed.
In a statement, Mordaunt criticised her colleagues for pulling out of the debate.
She said: "It’s a shame some colleagues cannot find a way to debate one another in a civil way.
“Throughout this contest she has never dodged media or shied away from broadcast interviews and debates - people deserve to hear from their leaders.”
Her campaign susequently said that comment was sent in error, reports The Guardian, and issued an updated comment, saying: "Media scrutiny is important in this contest. Penny has done broadcast and allowed time for journalists to ask questions at her launch. MPs aren’t just picking a new leader, but picking the nation's new PM."
Labour leader Keir Starmer said candidates pulling out of the debate showed a lack of "confidence".
He added: "I’m astonished that those that want to be prime minister of the United Kingdom are pulling out of debates and out of scrutiny."
