Trans rights, the net zero carbon goal and ob Boris Johnson is honest were key talking points during the first Tory leadership debate.
Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch clashed over Ms Mordaunt’s stance on gender identity while she was a former chancellor Rishi Sunak targeted the other candidates for their “fairytale” tax cut plans.
Here are the key points raised during the hour and a half debate on Channel 4:
Only Tom Tugendhat said directly that he did not believe Boris Johnson was trustworthy.
The candidates were asked to answer yes or no on whether they believed the outgoing prime minister was being honest.
Ms Badenoch said Mr Johnson was honest “sometimes” while Ms Mordaunt said he had “paid a price” for “some really serious issues” with his tenure as Prime Minister.
The youngest chancellor, Mr Sunak, said: “I tried for as long as possible to try and agree with him when the doubt came up and finally concluded that I couldn’t do that and that’s why I resigned… There was a row for that of reasons I quit, but trust and honesty were part of it.”
(Left-Right) Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss
(PA)
Ms Truss said Mr Johnson had been “very clear that he had made mistakes in government” but she had taken his explanation for inaccurate statements about Partygate “at face value”.
When asked if Mr Johnson was being honest, Mr Tugendhat simply said, “No.”
Penny Mordaunt has fallen out with Kemi Badenoch over past stances on gender identity rights.
Ms Mordaunt, a former Minister for Women and Equality, said while she carried out a consultation on the Gender Recognition Act, she had “never been pro-self-identification”.
“I can’t imagine why people don’t get what I’m saying and ruminate on this topic for weeks, but I’m happy to present my position and evidence to back it up,” she said.
Asked if she accepts this, Ms Badenoch, who was equality secretary until she stepped down this month, said: “I find it difficult because when I took over as equality secretary in 2020, the policy that was being pushed was self-identification .
“I didn’t work with Penny but I felt that the previous minister who took on that role wanted a self-identification and that was something I reversed with Liz.”
Ms Truss declined to clarify whether she felt Ms Mordaunt’s stance on gender recognition had changed.
Rishi Sunak has attacked Penny Mordaunt and Liz Truss over their plans to introduce tax cuts.
Mr Sunak told Ms Truss that “borrowing from inflation” was a “fairy tale”.
Ms Truss replied: “I think it’s wrong to raise taxes.”
She added: “We have inflation because of our monetary policy, that we haven’t been tough enough on the money supply, that’s how I would address that issue.”
Mr Sunak also attacked Ms Mordaunt’s “double-digit billion pound promises”.
The international trade secretary has promised to cut VAT on fuel and raise income tax thresholds in line with inflation – something that would cost around £15billion, according to Sunak.
Ms Mordaunt said: “My economic platform is not based on taxes and spending, but on growth and competition.”
Kemi Badenoch was the only candidate to say she would not commit to the current net zero pledge.
The government is currently working towards the goal of reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
While the other four candidates said they were still working towards that deadline as prime minister, Ms Badenoch said she would not.
She dismissed International Environment Secretary Lord Goldsmith’s warning that dropping the 2050 net-zero target would be “political suicide”.
She said: “I think he’s wrong.
“The promise was made in 2018 for 2050, none of us will be here as politicians in 2050, it’s very easy to set a goal that you are not responsible and accountable for when the time comes.
“It is important that we do this in a sustainable way.
“Many of the things we do could harm our country economically.”
