Truss Remains Favourite Ahead Of BBC Leadership Debate

Foreign Minister Liz Truss remains the frontrunner in the Tory party leadership contest with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak ahead of the next televised debate entitled "Our Next Prime Minister" which will be broadcast on BBC 1 at 16:00 ET/21:00 BST.

• According to betting market Smarkets Liz Truss has an 65.36% implied probability of becoming the next UK Prime Minister opposed to 33.78% for Sunak.
• A number of prominent Conservative party members have critised the tone of the contest, warning that the political mudslinging may damage the standing of the Conservative party ahead of the next general election.
  • Former pretty chair Lord Maude: "One is obviously going to win the leadership, but if the behaviour of the teams and their language has been uncontrolled and it's damaged the party's standing or the way people see the party, it could end up being a Pyrrhic victory."
• Christina Robinson, a debate coach for Jeremy Hunt in his 2019 contest with Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that today's debate may be crucial from swinging undecided voters.
  • Robinson: “You’ve got to presume that most of the membership will be watching when the audience is that high, particularly with the number of undecideds this time.”
• According to Politico ~4.5 million people watched the corresponding ITV leadership debate between Johnson and Hunt in 2019.