Sunak, Truss square off in bid to become UK PM

Britain's former chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss have been selected to vie for Conservative Party leadership that will decide the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Through a series of votes in a space of eight days, Conservative members of Parliament have reduced an initial ballot of eight candidates to succeed Prime Minister Boris Johnson down to two, after Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated on Wednesday.

The party membership of 160,000 will now consider their choice before making their selection next month, with the winner to be announced on Sept 5.

Candidates have debated priority policies such as how to manage the stalling economy, cutting or maintaining taxes, the National Health Service backlog, and restoring trust and integrity in public life, reported The Times. They have also discussed their positions on defense, housing, relations with Europe, net-zero targets and leveling up.

Truss and Sunak, who served alongside each other in Johnson's Cabinet, have locked horns in two bruising televised debates particularly on tax and spending policy.

Sunak claimed that tax cut promises made by Truss were "socialist "in nature, while Truss said Sunak's policy of deferring tax cuts risks a recession.

Having overseen some of the largest tax rises in recent years, Sunak said he intends to address the "hard economic reality" of inflation with fiscal caution.

His critics in the party have described his resignation from Johnson's Cabinet on July 5 as "treacherous", as it was seen to have triggered a flurry of other resignations that ultimately brought Johnson down.

Truss held Cabinet positions under former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, and her reputation grew when she was given the role of international trade secretary in 2019. She was promoted to foreign secretary in September and is seen as a loyalist to Johnson.

Truss backs net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and was supportive of the COP 26 summit outcomes, but critics noted that she did not include climate commitments in many trade deals when she ran the trade department.

Commentators on social media pointed out that Truss appeared to emulate former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's dress and style in a televised debate last week, and she has cited Thatcher as an inspiration herself.

Over the coming weeks, Sunak and Truss will attend hustings across the country and face each other in at least two more televised debates.

In a statement, Mordaunt called on the two candidates to adopt a more moderate tone for the sake of the party.

"Politics isn't easy. It can be a divisive and difficult place," she said. "We must all now work together to unify our party and focus on the job that needs to be done."