ishi Sunak and Liz Truss are ready to go head-to-head in the latest Tory leadership battles as the race for the top lane heats up.
tax and spending will likely be the main points of contention as the hopefuls embark on their summer tour of the country, answering questions from party members who will ultimately decide who will get the keys to No. 10 in September.
Other possible topics under discussion include immigration, identity politics, Brexitdefence, climate change and the NHS.
Mr Sunak will try to regain his position after being accused of “flip-flops” on his fiscal policy while promising to cut temporary VAT on utility bills despite repeatedly branding Ms. Truss’ tax-cutting plans as “comforting fairy tales”.
He said he would remove VAT from domestic energy bills for a year if the price cap, currently just under £2,000 a year for an average home, exceeds £3,000 as forecast by experts.
On Wednesdays the Minister of Foreign Affairs said she welcomed the pledge but challenged her rival to “do more” and reverse the surge in national insurance.
She said during a visit to Romford: “I applaud him now saying we need to cut taxes because that’s what we need to do.
“I would like to see more. I would like him to commit to reversing the increase in national insurance because that increase in national insurance has hit families in the pocket.”
Mr Sunak had rejected calls for a VAT cut on utility bills in February, telling the Commons that “there would be no guarantee that suppliers would pass the discounts on to all customers”.
Meanwhile, the former chancellor said in a video clip on Twitter that he had “another great day” campaigning in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
He told his followers: “We’ve talked about everything that concerns the people, tackling the cost of living, how we are realizing the benefits of Brexit.”
Former head whip Mark Harperwho supports Mr Sunak, defended the ex-chancellor’s decision to publicize his commitment to cut VAT at this stage of the contest.
When asked why Mr Sunak didn’t start his campaign with those plans, he told BBC Newsnight: “He announced it because it looks like the energy price cap could rise hundreds of pounds higher than we thought.
“And he has always said very consistently that if he had to do more, he would.
“And he has now partially announced this particular policy so that the people listening to this program at home will have some peace of mind that if he is elected prime minister, he will, in fact, always stand behind them in the same way he did during the pandemic.” .”
Mr Sunak later announced plans to criminalize “downblousing” as part of a major crackdown on sex offenders to protect women and girls.
Ms. Truss has also pledged to introduce a standalone felony to criminalize street harassment, and a national registry for domestic violence.
The hustings are the first of 12 for Tory members to poll the final two candidates before the vote closes on Sept. 2, and will mark a key moment for the pair to bolster support for their campaigns, after bitter clashes over the policy .
The event will be held in Leeds with Ms Truss expected to meet voters in the city tomorrow morning.
Mayors from across northern England have written to the two contenders to express concerns about the government’s plans for transport in the north.
Andy Burnham, Tracy Brabin, Steve Rotheram, Oliver Coppard and Jamie Driscoll called on the winning candidate to meet with them to agree on a “better way forward for the north”.
“This is a crucial decision that will affect the lives of future generations of Northerners. We owe it to them to show the highest possible ambition for what the north of England can be in the future,” they wrote.