Great Britain: TV battle over Johnson’s successor: headwind for favourite

England
TV battle over Johnson’s successor: headwinds for favorite

Former finance minister Rishi Sunak managed to convince a majority studio audience in a televised battle over British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s succession.

Fewer guests raised their hands in the vote at the end of the 90-minute show for her rival Liz Truss – who, according to previous polls, was the favorite for government office. Members of the Conservative Tory Party were invited. In the coming weeks, they will be able to vote by letter or online on who will go to Downing Street in early September. Sunak (42) took to Twitter to share the voting record after it was broadcast.

Secretary of State Truss had to justify an about-face in her election campaign in an interview with Sky News presenter Kay Burley. In a press release, Truss said it would cut wages for workers outside the most affluent areas of London and southern England to better reflect local living conditions. Experts pointed out that the cuts would particularly affect groups such as nurses and teachers. Unions protested strongly. Key members of his Conservative Party also disagreed, and Truss backtracked, saying his plans had been misrepresented by the media.

The candidate also repeated the allegations in a televised debate, but also admitted that he decided not to go ahead with the plans after “concerns”. “It wasn’t the right move,” Truss admitted when asked. In regular opinion polls among Tory members, the 47-year-old has always been clearly ahead. Several prominent members of the current or former Johnson cabinet have expressed their support for him.

dpa