Liz Truss vs Rishi Sunak
The new “Iron Lady” or the rational underdog – who will follow in Boris Johnson’s footsteps?
They both want to go to Downing Street: favorite Liz Truss (right) and her competitor Rishi Sunak
© Kirsty Wigglesworth/DPA
On Monday, the British will finally find out who will govern them in the future. In polls, the populist Liz Truss has beaten former favorite Rishi Sunak by a wide margin. Whoever wins the race, a heavy legacy awaits him or her.
Britain is in limbo. Since Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign in early July following a series of scandals, the country has been reeling through the storm without a captain. And that at a time when leadership is actually urgently needed. Inflation is now over ten percent and the population is groaning under the rapidly increasing cost of living. Add to that the long rat tail that Brexit still has in its wake – not to mention the Russian war against Ukraine.
And all that is just the tip of the iceberg of problems that the new number one in Downing Street will have to deal with from Monday. Then the British will finally find out who will take the wheel in the future. For many, it is already an election without a winner.
Britain Seeks Premier: The Final Showdown
On the one hand, this may be due to the type of voting itself. Because the next prime minister will not be determined by millions of British voters, as is usually the case, but solely by the approximately 160,000 members of the conservative Tory party – which, compared to the rest of the population, is the majority white, male and wealthy are. On the other hand, the two final candidates – Secretary of State Liz Truss and former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak – have damaged each other so much in the weeks of non-stop election campaigning that many have even disgraced those who have fallen out of favor Johnson would prefer. The tensions became particularly clear during the last speech duel between the two on Wednesday in London’s Wembley Arena.
The focus of the debate was the exploding cost of living – currently the most important issue in the country. truss, the in polls as the clear favorite seized her momentum in front of thousands of Tory members and announced “massive tax cuts” if she won. As the new head of government, she wants to focus on “energy prices for consumers” and boosting the economy – she did not give any specific details when asked. At the same time, as a former finance minister, she accused Sunak of tax increases and criticized the fact that, unlike her, he did not want to rule out energy rationing in the winter.
The latter, in turn, described his competitor’s plans as “financially irresponsible”. Tax cuts without parallel spending cuts would jeopardize Britain’s reputation in global credit markets, the finance expert warned. With his own economic plan, which only provides for selective relief, Sunak promised to get inflation under control more quickly. In his closing speech he refrained from stabbing Truss and instead tried to differentiate himself from Boris Johnson. He will lead a government “that is run competently and honestly” and that has “decency and integrity” at its core. “This is the change I will bring. This is the Prime Minister I will be.”
Liz Truss: She wants to be the new “Iron Lady”.
While Liz Truss describes her political rise as a “journey”, critics simply accuse her of opportunism. After she was a member of the Liberal Democrats during her studies, she switched to the Conservatives after graduating, for which she moved into parliament in 2010. With a series of posts as education, finance and justice minister, the 47-year-old quickly became a cabinet heavyweight.
But above all, her exchange rate in the dispute over Brexit brought Truss a lot of criticism: After she had initially campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain in the EU, the politician switched sides shortly before the referendum and has been selling herself as a big one ever since Brexit advocate – with success. Shortly thereafter, she became only the second woman to be appointed British Foreign Secretary by Prime Minister Johnson.
Truss likes to pretend to be reincarnation of the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher, a role she played in the school theater as a young girl. Whether it’s photos in battle tanks or a bow tie blouse in TV debates – a characteristic of the late Prime Minister and Tory icon – Truss also positions herself as the real “true blue”. She describes herself as the only candidate with a “truly conservative” economic plan, and she also promises “bold reforms” in housing construction, cutting bureaucracy and unbundling EU regulations.
Not only their populist demands are reminiscent of Boris Johnson. Just like the outgoing prime minister, Truss presents herself as an outsider – although she herself has been a member of the government for eight years. The conservatives also wisely hold back when it comes to criticism of their former boss – in complete contrast to their competitor.
Rishi Sunak: From high flyer to underdog
Just a few months ago, Rishi Sunak was considered the most promising candidate for the post of prime minister. In February 2020, the Stanford graduate with Indian roots became finance minister in Johnson’s cabinet and had to steer the British economy through the corona pandemic and lockdowns within a very short time. His personal poll numbers went through the roof after the distribution of government aid.
But public opinion of Sunak has turned, especially after it was revealed that his wealthy wife used a legal loophole to save millions in taxes herself (the star reported). On top of that, the 42-year-old is facing a police fine for attending one of the infamous Downing Street lockdown parties in June 2020.
Sunak promises to be the candidate to save Britain and get inflation under control. But his fiscal stubbornness in the face of rising living costs – and his rejection of tax cuts – is not well received in his own party. For many conservative party members, the decision that Sunak made on July 1 weighs much more heavily. With his resignation from the cabinet, he set the ball rolling that forced Boris Johnson days later to announce his resignation as party leader and prime minister. Johnson’s supporters – who still hold sway with the Tories – know only one word for that: treason.
Boris Johnson leaves behind a heavy legacy
Whoever wins the race at the end, many Britons should be relieved that it’s finally over. The intra-party vote continued until Friday afternoon, and the result is to be announced next Monday. This is the end of Boris Johnson’s scandal-ridden era as prime minister. His successor is to be welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Tuesday – and then move into the seat of government on Downing Street.
However, the new number one will hardly have much time to celebrate. Because no matter who follows in Johnson’s footsteps in the end, one thing is certain: she or he will inherit a number of problems like hardly any British prime minister before. But maybe fewer parties – in this case – isn’t too bad an omen.
Sources: “Guardians“, “BBC“, “NYTimes“, “TheTimes“, “YouGov survey“, with AFP footage