- Five challenges to succeeding Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister
- Second of three televised debates on Sunday
- Tax plans at the heart of a heated competition
- Surveys show a mixed picture of who wins
LONDON, July 17 (Reuters) – The five Conservative contenders still vying to be Britain’s next prime minister will face off in a second televised debate on Sunday when they renew hostilities over tax policy and issues such as transgender rights.
With no clear candidate to succeed Boris Johnson, who is stepping down after a series of scandals, the battle for the next leader remains unpredictable and increasingly volatile, exposing rifts in the ruling Conservative Party.
Former finance minister Rishi Sunak has emerged as the front-runner among the 358 Conservative MPs who will hold further votes this week to narrow the field of contenders down to the final two.
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A JL Partners poll for the Sunday Telegraph shows almost half of Conservative voters think he would make a good prime minister ahead of his main rivals Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Junior Secretary Penny Mordaunt.
However, Truss also has broad support, including among those most loyal to Johnson, and junior minister Penny Mordaunt is leading a poll of 200,000 party members who will ultimately choose who becomes Conservative leader and therefore minister- chairman.
In a demonstration of how open the race is, a poll of party members for the website Conservative Home on Saturday showed former equalities minister Cammy Badenoch now ahead of the rest, with Truss second and Mordaunt, currently the bookies’ favourite, has dropped to third.
It comes after the fifth candidate, Tom Tugendhat, chairman of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, topped a viewer poll after Friday’s first televised debate.
Whoever gets the job will have to deal with skyrocketing inflation and low economic growth, as well as the public’s lack of confidence in politics after Johnson’s scandalous tenure. Opinion polls also show the Conservatives trailing well behind the opposition Labor Party.
‘TALE’
The first televised debate on Friday saw arguments over economic policy, with Sunak saying the Truss’ proposed plans to cut wage and corporation tax increases at a cost of more than 30 billion pounds ($36 billion) a year were a “fairy tale”.
She countered that her rival’s tax increases, proposed while Sunak was still in charge of the Treasury Department, are undermining business investment at a time when the economy is struggling.
There were also sharp clashes over issues of transsexuality and Johnson’s honesty.
“I have tremendous respect and admiration for all my colleagues who will be leaders. And it’s right that we have a passionate debate about these issues,” said Sunak, whose decision to leave the Treasury last week helped trigger the cascade of ministerial resignations that ousted Johnson.
Preliminary polling after the debate showed viewers thought Tugendhat, who is unlikely to make it to the runoff, was seen as the top performer, followed by Sunak, with Truss trailing in last place.
“Tom has only just begun to introduce himself to the country. Three days ago he was almost unknown,” said a spokesman for Tugendhat’s campaign. “People see it and like it.”
Meanwhile, Mordaunt, who like Tugendhat is a lesser-known figure among the general public, has attracted hostile attacks from rival camps for her expertise and abilities.
She says the “black ops” briefings are because others know she is the most popular figure among party members.
First, however, they have to win over their colleagues in parliament, so their performance in televised debates could prove particularly significant.
Conservative MPs will hold another on Monday, when the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated and the final two will be elected by July 21. Party members will then vote on the winner, who will be announced on September 5.
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Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Daniel Wallis
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