Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have exchanged many heated words during the race to become the next Prime Minister, but their actions as MPs have often spoken louder.
Our analysis reveals how the two candidates have voted in hundreds of joint votes over the past decade.
Explore the voting records for yourself below, or read on to find out where they stand on key issues.
The key themes of the campaign
As the UK’s cost of living crisis intensifies, the candidates’ focus on the economy has been front and center in the campaign.
Ms Truss has promised tax cuts from day one if elected prime minister, while Mr Sunak has argued that now is not the time and has pledged to cut taxes once inflation subsides.
However, their tax records are not so clear and voting data, collected and analyzed from Hansard and the vote-tracking site PublicWhip, shows that they have not always supported lower taxes.
Reduction of taxes on salary and income. For example, increasing personal income tax allowance or reducing national insurance contributions
Rishi Sunak moderately for
IN FAVOR 6 6
AGAINST 2 2
MISSING 1 1
Liz Truss strongly for
IN FAVOR 12 12
AGAINST 2 2
MISSING 5 5
21 September 2021. Opposition day — Workers’ finances — Government policy A majority of MPs voted against an opposition motion asking the Government to reverse the increase in national insurance contributions and the freezing of the personal income tax bonus. Sunak was absent from the vote. Truss was absent from the vote.
Two recent tax hikes stand out in both of his records, though particularly for Mr Sunak, given he was chancellor at the time: the freeze on personal income tax allowance and the increase in National Insurance contributions in 2021.
Those tax hikes, still in place today, have provided plenty of ammunition for Sunak’s opponents, allowing them to question his commitment to conservative values.
However, the data also shows that Ms Truss, who was the first of the two to become an MP, has backed additional tax rises that Sunak managed to avoid.
For example, Mrs Truss took part in at least eleven votes in favor of a VAT rise early in her parliamentary career.
Increase in VAT Increase in the rate of VAT on goods and services
Rishi Sunak ambiguous
IN FAVOR 2 2
AGAINST 3 3
MISSING 1 1
Liz Truss moderately for
IN FAVOR 16 16
AGAINST 3 3
MISSING 5 5
January 11, 2022. Day of the opposition — Tax on the value added to household energy bills The majority of deputies voted against an opposition motion that asked the Government to reduce the rate of l VAT on household energy bills as soon as possible. Sunak voted with the majority. Truss was absent from the vote.
In the summer of 2010, he supported the coalition government’s “emergency budget”, which increased VAT from 17.5% to 20% as part of measures to strengthen public finances in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008.
Then, along with their Tory MPs, they consistently defended the increase by voting against Labor efforts to reverse it or offer exemptions, for example to charities.
On the other hand, Mr Sunak’s recent fiscal measures have earned him, on paper, a stronger record than Truss on tackling energy prices, no doubt a priority for the next Prime Minister as he winter is coming
Intervene to make energy more affordable Support measures to reduce the energy bill
Rishi Sunak strongly for
IN FAVOR 3 3
AGAINST 0 0
MISSING 1 1
Liz Truss moderately opposed
IN FAVOR 2 2
AGAINST 8 8
MISSING 4 4
July 11, 2022. Energy (Oil and Gas) Profits Bill – Third Reading Most MPs voted in favor of an extraordinary tax on the profits of energy companies to fund cost support of life in homes. Sunak voted with the majority. Truss was absent from the vote.
Sunak’s record is also boosted by the introduction of the windfall energy tax earlier this year, which used profits from oil and gas companies to fund cost-of-living support for households .
Instead, Ms Truss’s record is once again haunted by the coalition years, during which she voted against Labor motions calling for measures such as freezing energy prices or cheaper rates for the elderly 75 years
Aside from the economy, polls have shown that Conservative members want the candidates to show they can control immigration, and both have pledged to tighten border rules.
Polling data reveals that Mr Sunak and Ms Truss have almost identical records on the issue.
Crack down on illegal immigration Implement stronger laws to deal with illegal immigration
Rishi Sunak strongly for
IN FAVOR 7 7
AGAINST 0 0
MISSING 2 2
Liz Truss strongly for
IN FAVOR 8 8
AGAINST 0 0
MISSING 1 1
19 October 2020. Immigration and Social Security Coordination (Withdrawal from the EU) Bill — New clause — Time limit for immigration detention for EEA nationals and Swiss Most of parliamentarians voted against the introduction of a time limit for immigration detention of twenty-eight days for nationals of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. Sunak was absent from the vote. Truss was absent from the vote.
Both have consistently supported measures to crack down on illegal immigration; from supporting laws that would make it illegal for immigrant women to work if they have not been granted permission to enter or remain, to voting against a ban on immigration detention of pregnant women.
Similarly, both have a harsh record on asylum, which is of particular relevance given the Government’s recent failure to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Another issue on which the two candidates are being judged is their ability to deliver Brexit, with the main point of contention being Mrs Truss’s support for Remain in the 2016 referendum, versus Sunak’s support for Leave.
This divide is reflected in the data, with Ms Truss voting on several occasions for greater EU integration before 2016.
Further integration into the EU before 2016 Strengthening of the institutions and mechanisms of the European Union and closer integration of the United Kingdom
Rishi Sunak ambiguous
IN FAVOR 3 3
AGAINST 2 2
MISSING 1 1
Liz Truss moderately for
IN FAVOR 18 18
AGAINST 7 7
MISSING 7 7
15 June 2016. European Union Membership A majority of MPs voted in favor of a motion saying the UK should remain in the EU on the eve of the 2016 referendum. Sunak was absent from the vote. Truss was absent from the vote.
However, following the referendum, the positions of both Mr. Sunak as of Mrs. Truss changed significantly, with both consistently voting against any measure that would have kept the UK in the EU.
Staying in the EU after 2016 Measures to keep the UK in the EU after the 2016 referendum
Rishi Sunak strongly against
IN FAVOR 11
AGAINST 18 18
MISSING 6 6
Liz Truss strongly against
IN FAVOR 2 2
AGAINST 18 18
MISSING 5 5
20 July 2022 Northern Ireland Protocol Bill – Third reading A majority of MPs voted in favor of the bill, which gave ministers the power to scrap parts of the post-Brexit deal between the United Kingdom and the EU in relation to Northern Ireland. Sunak voted with the majority. Truss was absent from the vote.
As well as revealing what Ms Truss and Mr Sunak have explicitly voted for and against, the data also reveals the many controversial issues that neither has voted for.
An example is the issue of the legalization of assisted dying. In 2015, the Commons held its first vote on the issue in 20 years in the form of the Assisted Dying Private Members Bill introduced by Rob Marris, the former Labor MP.
Legalize assisted death. Legalize assistance to a terminally ill person who wants to die
Rishi Sunak never voted
IN FAVOR 0 0
AGAINST 0 0
MISSING 1 1
Liz Truss never voted
IN FAVOR 0 0
AGAINST 0 0
MISSING 1 1
11 September 2015. Assisted Dying Bill — Second Reading The majority of MPs voted against allowing a terminally ill person to receive legal assistance to end their life with the consent of the High Court. Sunak was absent from the vote. Truss was absent from the vote.
MPs overwhelmingly rejected the bill, but neither Ms Truss nor Mr Sunak went to the vote, perhaps aiming to keep their position ambiguous on such an emotional issue.
Our voting data has been collected from vote tracking site PublicWhip, as well as Hansard, the official record of Parliament.
Each of the House of Commons votes we’ve gathered has been assessed for what it says about support for a particular issue.
Sometimes this means that voting against a bill can represent a vote for an issue, and vice versa.
We then calculate the candidates’ summary position on an issue by weighting the number of votes for an issue versus the number of votes against an issue.
If almost all of the candidates’ votes are in favor of an issue, we label them as “strongly in favor” of an issue. Otherwise, they are “moderately in favor” if they still have a significant number of upvotes or “ambiguous” if they have essentially as many upvotes as against.
The same logic applies to labeling candidates as “strongly opposed.”
For issues with only a handful of relevant votes, we chose only to label candidates as “moderately” in favor or against.