Liz Truss admits to not being 'slickest' of candidates for next Tory leader

During the debate, which aired on ITV tonight (July 17), the South West Norfolk MP said: "I’m somebody who says what I think, I’m honest, I was brought up in Yorkshire – I say what I mean and I mean what I say.

South West Norfolk MP and foreign secretary Liz Truss is currently battling it out with former chancellor Rishi Sunak to be selected by Conservative party members as the country's new prime minister (Image: PA Media)

“I’m somebody that, when I promise to deliver something, I do deliver it.”

In a swipe at former chancellor Rishi Sunak during the debate, she said that was “one of the reasons I was so concerned about us breaking our manifesto on national insurance, because we committed to the British public that we would do it” – the Tories had promised in 2019 not to increase the tax.

Ms Truss added: “I might not be the slickest presenter on this stage, but I think my colleagues understand in Parliament when I work with them that when I say I’ll do something, I do it.”

During the debate Ms Truss also said that she would be willing to meet and sit down with Vladimir Putin at the next G20 summit in Bali later this year.

She said it was "important we have the voices of the free world facing down Vladimir Putin", adding it would influence the "swing countries" like Indonesia and India.

"I would go there and call Putin out," she said.

The MP for South West Norfolk clashed with Sunak multiple times during the debate and she hit out at his plans to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

She said: "Rishi, you have raised taxes to the highest level in 70 years.

"That is not going to drive economic growth.

"You raised national insurance even though people like me opposed it in Cabinet at the time, because we could have afforded to fund the NHS through general taxation.

“The fact is that raising taxes at this moment will choke off economic growth, it will prevent us getting the revenue we need to pay off the debt.”

Ms Truss also said she would not call a general election if she became the next prime minister.

She said: "No to a general election, we need 100% of all of our effort on delivering for the people of Britain, I’m the person who can do that.”

Potential leaders do battle

Rishi Sunak engaged in more furious exchanges with Tory leadership rivals Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt as the contenders to succeed Boris Johnson faced off in a second televised debate.
The former chancellor accused Ms Truss of peddling "something-for-nothing" economics after she said he was choking off growth by raising taxes to their highest level in 70 years.
And after Ms Mordaunt said she would not keep to his rule of only borrowing to invest, he said even former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn did not advocate such a fiscal loosening.
Mr Sunak said the pandemic damaged the economy and public finances had to be rebuilt.
"I'd love to stand here and say, 'Look, I'll cut this tax, that tax and another tax and it will all be OK.' But you know what? It won't," he said.
"There's a cost to these things and the cost of higher inflation, higher mortgage rates, eroded savings. And you know what? This something-for-nothing economics isn't Conservative. It's socialism."
Ms Mordaunt said the limited tax cuts she advocated were not inflationary and people need help now with the cost of living.
"I don't understand why Rishi doesn't understand that," she said.
Mr Sunak said: "It is one thing to borrow for long-term investment. It is a whole other thing to put the day-to-day bills on the country's credit card. It is not just wrong, it is dangerous.
"Even Jeremy Corbyn didn't go that far."
Mr Sunak added: "If we are not for sound money, what is the point of the Conservative Party?"
There were further bad tempered exchanges between Ms Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch - who had accused Ms Mordaunt in the first debate of having pushed a policy of gender self-identification for people who wanted to legally change their gender when she had government responsibility for the issue.
Following further reports in the press casting doubts on her denials, Ms Mordaunt said: "I know why this is being done but I would say all attempts to paint me as an out of touch individual will fail."
Ms Badenoch repeatedly tried to interrupt, saying: "Penny, I was just telling the truth. I am telling the truth."
Ms Truss also denied that she was running a negative campaign following attacks on Mr Sunak by some of her supporters accusing him of bringing down Boris Johnson.
"I certainly don't believe in that kind of campaign. It is not the kind of campaign I am fighting. I am fighting a positive campaign about the future," she said.