BBC’s Mason warns Sunak must ‘catch up pretty quickly’ as Truss record blowing up campaign
Rishi Sunak 'has to catch up quickly' says Chris Mason
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BBC political editor Chris Mason advised Rishi Sunak to “catch up pretty quickly” in his race to become Prime Minister as he warned “the big audience opportunities for him to do that will start to shrink”. Referring to yesterday’s leadership debate, he argued the former Chancellor “was able to pick a way at some of the weaknesses of [Liz Truss’s] arguments” about reshaping the economy but warned Liz Truss’s loyalty to the Prime Minister “matters” in the current leadership race and is now being used as “a tool to garner support among Conservative Party members”.
Mr Mason told BBC Radio 4 Today: “I think in some elements of his argument taking on Liz Truss’s debate and conversation about reshaping the economy in a significant way, he was able to pick a way at some of the weaknesses of her argument.
“But, in the end, I don’t think there was necessarily a knockout blown.
“If we are to believe this gap between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak suggested by the opinion polls and surveys, [Rishi Sunak] is gonna have to catch up pretty quickly.
“The big audience opportunities for him to do that, to change a lot of minds, will soon start to shrink.”
Referring to the two opponents’ performance at yesterday’s debate, he added: “I don’t think there was a knockout blow necessarily delivered by either of them.
“Rishi Sunak knew he had to come out and come out pretty sparkly.
“Instantly we’d wandered in the various rehearsals they’ve done, the extent to which they would engage, the extent to which they’d be willing to bluntly take lumps out of teacher other.
“Remember they were in the same cabinet just a matter of weeks ago.
“Perhaps they will be a little nervous, a little reticent to do that.
“As you heard, there was absolutely none of that.”
BBC Radio 4 Today host pointed out: “Interesting is that [Liz Truss] is sort of emerging as the continuity Boris Johnson candidate, in the sense that she won’t disavow him.”
He commented: “I think it’s interesting, and I think it matters.
“I think it’s been weaponised now as a tool to garner support among Conservative Party members.
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“However, there are plenty of Conservative Party members deeply angry at the manner of Boris Johnson’s departure, even if a good number of them recognises that that departure was going to happen.
“That is a reality in terms of the sentiment amongst many Conservative Party members.
“Many of them are angry at what they perceive to be Rishi Sunak’s role in bringing the Prime Minister down.
“You’ve seen Liz Truss very specifically be willing to [use] that anger and try and harvest it and acknowledge that she is still around his Cabinet table”.
The comments came a day after the head-to-head debate between opponents Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak took place.
In yesterday’s debate, Rishi Sunak openly criticised Liz Truss’s tax cuts plan as he warned that her plan would “tip millions of people into misery”.
He also suggested that her plans for the UK economy would lead to “higher interest rates”.
Liz Truss, however, firmly dismissed Sunak’s claims and warned his tax rise policy until inflation is under control would lead to a recession in the UK economy.
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