Good Thursday morning. Somehow there are still another 16 days left of the Tory leadership campaign.
Today’s new policy:
- As Guido said yesterday, Team Liz aren’t planning to announce any more policies for the remainder of the campaign. Probably the best news Guido’s heard all week.
Hustings performance:
- A decent showing with all the familiar talking points: reverse the national insurance rise, cut corporation tax, help the vulnerable this winter. Nothing concrete on the latter point yet because, once again, Liz said she wasn’t going to write a budget in the middle of a hustings.
- Had a punchy encounter with a pro-life audience member who claimed Westminster had “undemocratically” forced abortion laws on Northern Ireland. Liz shot back with “I’m afraid I don’t agree with you. We are a United Kingdom and we need all our laws to apply across the United Kingdom. That is what a Union is.”
- Was also asked if her “own personal integrity and honesty” should be questioned because she persistently supported Boris. She responded by saying “Boris Johnson has been an excellent prime minister [and] he delivered on Brexit, he delivered on the COVID vaccine and he delivered on standing up to Vladimir Putin and backing the Ukrainians and I’m proud of what he did.” A round of applause for that one…
In other news:
- She’s now overtaken Rishi with her Parliamentary colleagues: at the time of going to pixel, 152 MPs support Liz, with 124 backing Rishi. Follow Guido’s spreadsheet here…
Today’s new policy:
- Likewise, nothing new here from Camp Rishi. Instead, they’re reiterating their attacks on Liz’s economic plan, claiming “It is not credible or Conservative to spend £50 billion on tax cuts” given the OBR’s most recent fiscal outlook only gives £27.8 billion of headroom. Rishi once again claims “unfunded tax cuts are irresponsible”.
Hustings performance:
- Same speech, different day. Another reminder that his mother was a chemist, he’s the responsible one, and he’ll defend “our women“. In case you forgot, there are another four hustings to go in this campaign, not to mention a two-hour debate on GB News this Friday…
- Yet again insisted Liz’s economic approach “would be moral failure of the Conservative government“… despite previously claiming he’d serve in her Cabinet.
- Bookies Odds (Previous in Brackets):
- Liz Truss 1/16 (nc)
- Rishi Sunak 13/2 (nc)
