Sunak warns Truss could cost Tories next election

LONDON • Mr Rishi Sunak has warned Conservatives that choosing leadership rival Liz Truss as Britain's prime minister means a risk of losing the next election to the Labour Party, as he bids to overhaul her huge polling lead among Tories.

Former finance minister Sunak topped five ballots of Tory MPs over the last eight days to make a run-off against Foreign Secretary Truss, but now faces long odds to win the contest decided by party members.

Several recent surveys of members, including a new YouGov poll, showed nearly two-thirds preferring Ms Truss, with about 40 per cent saying Mr Sunak "cannot be trusted" after his resignation helped topple outgoing leader Boris Johnson.

Also facing stinging criticism over his pledge to balance the books before cutting taxes, Mr Sunak tried to go on the offensive over Ms Truss' broader electability as the pair kick off six weeks of campaigning.

"If you look at all the polling evidence that we have... it's pretty clear that I am the person that is best placed to defeat Keir Starmer in the next election," he told LBC radio on Thursday, referring to the Labour leader.

"That's what our members will need to consider," Mr Sunak added, vowing to deliver victory in the next general election due by the end of 2024.

Earlier on Thursday, Ms Truss again assailed Mr Sunak's tax policies, as the issue continues to dominate the weeks-old contest.

He oversaw various tax increases as Britain battled to fix public finances after the coronavirus pandemic while being buffeted by spiralling inflation.

Ms Truss wrote in the Daily Mail that Britain had been "going in the wrong direction on tax, with the tax burden at its highest in 70 years", and promised to reverse recent rises.

She has also vowed to suspend green levies on energy bills, despite climate change being widely acknowledged to have led to a record-breaking deadly heatwave this week.

She defended her tax-slashing plans - set to cost at least £30 billion (S$50 billion) a year - as "affordable".

That drew derision from Mr Sunak, who argued they will worsen 40-year-high inflation. "My strong point of view is if the government goes on a huge borrowing spree, that is only going to make the situation worse, and that will mean that this problem that we've got will last longer," he told LBC.

The pair are set to debate live on television on Monday, ahead of the first of 12 hustings in front of members next Thursday.

About 200,000 Tory members will be able to vote by post or online from early next month, with the final result due on Sept 5.

The fight has already turned personal during prior TV debates. Mr Sunak won the two previous TV duels, according to snap polls, with the second one featuring a no-holds-barred clash with Ms Truss.

Mr Sunak's resignation earlier this month helped to end Mr Johnson's scandal-tarred tenure, following months of controversies, including "Partygate".

Downing Street is reportedly running an "anyone but Rishi" campaign. At his last Prime Minister's Questions session in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Johnson hinted at support for Ms Truss' Thatcherite platform.

He urged his successor to "cut taxes and deregulate where you can to make this the greatest place to live and invest".

Both candidates have sought to invoke former leader Margaret Thatcher, who remains a hero to many party members.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE