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Pat McFadden, the chief secretary in the shadow of the Treasury, has written to Nadhim Zahawi, challenging him to give him more clarity on his tax and financial matters, reports my colleague Heather Stewart.
An IMF official tells Conservative leadership candidates that using additional loans to fund tax cuts would be a mistake
Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, stands out in the Conservative Party’s leadership contest because he is the only candidate who is firmly opposed to increasing debt to fund immediate tax cuts. As a voice of fiscal orthodoxy, it is perhaps not surprising that his position is supported by the International Monetary Fund, whose head in the UK, Mark Flanagan, told the BBC: “I think the cuts in Debt-financed taxes at this time would be a mistake. ”
Flanagan said it would be better for the UK to invest in services that favor long-term growth. He said:
The United Kingdom has a lower-than-average tax ratio compared to the rest of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. You can’t have it either way.
At some point you have to decide, do we want to invest in the climate transition? Do we want to invest in digitization? Do we want to invest in skills for the public? Well, if you do you need the resources to do it. And the way to get these resources is to increase the tax ratio a bit.
Conservative MPs will vote in third ballot, with Rishi Sunak driven by instant debate poll
Good morning. Tonight Conservative MPs will vote in the third ballot for party leadership and the two televised debates over the weekend make former chancellor Rishi Sunak start the week even safer than he was in getting one of the two seats of the final. ballot for members. Who will take the other is more uncertain, but after Friday’s debate it didn’t seem entirely impossible that Kemi Badenoch (4th in the last vote) could beat Liz Truss (3rd) and Penny Mordaunt (2nd), who be both surprisingly. unimpressive. Both improved noticeably last night, particularly in Truss, and now you have to feel a little safer to overtake Mordaunt and get second place in the final vote.
The Conservative party has let members choose leaders from a list of two since 2001 (when Iain Duncan Smith won) and usually when the list of two has been chosen, it is clear that a candidate is likely to win. This time the result will be more uncertain. Pollsters and the ConservativeHome website have polled party members on how they would vote in one-on-one contests. Yesterday’s ConHome figures suggest Truss would beat Sunak. But the same figures suggest he would win it by just seven points, despite having a 17-point lead over him the previous week, meaning opinion is very fluid, and the campaign is changing loyalty.
Opinium has now published the full results of its quick poll conducted after last night’s debate. He suggests that Sunak was considered the best in the debate and that Truss improved the most since Friday.
We asked over 1000 voters to watch tonight’s leaders debate and then asked them what they thought.
The results … 🧵
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
Sunak was first when it came to who had the best overall performance, with 24%.
It was followed by Tugendhat with 19%, Mordaunt with 17%, Truss with 15% and Badenoch with 12%. pic.twitter.com/FxapExClVv
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
The results are much closer than Friday’s debate, when Tugendhat was the clear winner.
It has dropped 17 points in this result, with Mordaunt and Truss with higher overall scores. pic.twitter.com/AjQbkd9mPr
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
Among the Conservative voters, the top 3 were: Sunak MordauntTruss
Among Labor voters, the top 3 were: SunakTugendhat Mordaunt
Among the swing voters, the top 3 were: SunakTugendhat Mordaunt pic.twitter.com/zI5T63aYdU
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
However, Tugendhat was the only one more people thought would be a good prime minister than a bad prime minister.
It has a net score of +17 Mordaunt is at -4Sunak is at -5Badenoch is at -17Truss is at -26 pic.twitter.com/K8bGBMphvh
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
We also asked people to choose any of the contenders who they believe should definitely not be prime minister.
48% said Truss37% said Badenoch31% said Sunak30% said Mordaunt22% said Tugendhat pic.twitter.com/XmtQDxKvTY
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
We also asked about a number of other leadership traits.
Sunak was considered the best placed to win an election, the best in the economy and to maintain conservative values.
Tugendhat was seen as the most sympathetic and trustworthy.
Badenoch was seen as the most compassionate. pic.twitter.com/mi56yg2eoI
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
Finally, we asked those who did not vote for Tory in 2019 which candidate would make them more likely to consider it in the future.
49% said none of them would make them consider it.
18% said Tugendhat would make them consider it more, followed by 8% saying Mordaunt would. pic.twitter.com/d3BZsUwYNz
– Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) July 17, 2022
Here is the agenda of the day.
10am: Angela Rayner, the deputy Labor leader, introduces an LBC phone. She replaces James O’Brien, who is on vacation. Other MPs will appear later this week.
11.30am: Downing Street holds an information session in the lobby.
After 3.30pm: Boris Johnson is expected to open a debate on a motion of confidence in the government.
5:00 pm: Voting opens for the third ballot for the Conservative Party leadership contest. It closes at 7pm, and the result is announced at 8pm.
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Updated at 09.56 BST