A couple of minutes into the broadcast, then former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss were at each other’s throats about the direction of the party, for the country and about measures to help Britons hit by inflation and economic hardship.
All in the long shadow of the ousted Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in whose government both sat.
“We have not seen the economic development that has been necessary in the last two years,” Truss said to fellow party member Sunak, who headed the country’s finance ministry.
— Your views on change rhyme badly with conservative values, Sunak replied.
Conservative voters
The debate in Stoke-On-Trent was conducted in front of Conservative voters who were allowed to ask questions – which mainly concerned domestic political, economic issues.
But then foreign policy took over, and it came to arouse hot feelings.
Sunak and Truss have previously avoided engaging in excessively harsh polemics on foreign affairs, as they want to show a united front outwardly – not least because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
During the debate, the two sparred over how tough one should be towards China and its growing geopolitical interests. They both accused each other of showing weakness towards Beijing.
Both Sunak and Truss then underlined the importance of investing in climate investments, without making binding promises.
— I listen to my children, said the former finance minister and saw investments in new technology as crucial.
Truss, in turn, underlined the importance of investments, without making any promises.
The debate may affect how the 160,000 party members entitled to vote vote in the party leader question.
Talk about style
But the debate also provided an insight into the personalities, stress tolerance and political vision of the two contractors.
As well as in the clothing choices of the two opponents, which became one of the evening’s more intense topics of discussion.
“I’m not going to give Sunak advice on how to dress,” said Truss in a grain blue skirt suit to Sunak, dressed in a dark suit, who for the evening had chosen to wear a white shirt without a tie.
Who gets the key to 10 Downing Street will be clear on September 5.