Truss and Sunak also compete until September 5 to be the new leader of the Conservative Party
The economy and fiscal policy were the focus of the first electoral debate on Monday night between the two candidates to succeed Boris Johnson as head of the British Government and head of the Conservative Party. British Foreign Minister Liz Truss and former UK Treasury Minister Rishi Sunak fought before the BBC cameras to gain the favor of some 200,000 party members called to vote throughout this summer. The winner will be announced on September 5.
Truss appears to have an advantage according to a YouGov poll of 730 Conservative Party members. 62% of them declared themselves in favor of the so-called new Margaret Thatcher, while 38% will support Sunak, according to what Bloomberg collected last Friday.
During the debate, while the former British Treasury chief defended not lowering taxes until inflation is under control, Truss opted for an “immediate” response, reversing the rise in some taxes and introducing a “temporary moratorium” on the tax. green on energy bills, as reported by ‘The Guardian’.
“Act as soon as possible”
The UK Foreign Minister argued that a rise in taxes at this time would damage the economy and lead the country into a recession, and defended “acting as soon as possible” to alleviate the burden on families to pay for food and Energy. Likewise, Truss has announced an economic growth plan with which a recent controversial rise in social security contributions would be reversed, as well as a plan for the United Kingdom Government to begin paying the debt in three years, as has picked up ‘The Independent’.
For his part, Sunak assured that the tax cuts that his rival intends to introduce would leave a hole of 40,000 million pounds (47,000 million euros) in the public coffers, and stressed that his plan offers long-term solutions to “cure” the UK cost of living crisis. “We have to control inflation,” he said. “You have promised almost £40bn of unfunded tax cuts, £40bn more in loans. That is the credit card of the country. If we don’t pay for it now, it’s going to cost you and everyone watching at home a lot more in the long run,” Sunak said. He also detailed his intention to lower taxes “at the right time and without compromising public services.”
On the other hand, when asked if they would have Boris Johnson in their Executive, both candidates expressed a ‘no’, although with uneven forcefulness. “I’m sure he will have a role. I am sure that he will speak, but he will not be part of the Government, “said the head of British diplomacy, emphasizing that she had been one of Johnson’s first supporters. However, Truss assured that the still British ‘premier’ would not want a future role in the Executive. “He needs a well-deserved break,” she stated.
Sunak was more direct in answering the question: “The simple answer for me is no.” Even so, the former head of the Treasury has recognized some of Johnson’s “deeds”, such as finding a solution for Brexit or his result in the last elections. “By offering a solution to Brexit and winning an election is a 10 out of 10, give him credit, probably no one else could have done it.”
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