Many gray heads, full of militants in royal blue t-shirts crossed out with a “Liz for Leader” or a “We are ready for Rishi”. Thousands of members of the British Conservative Party are flocking this Wednesday, August 31, to Arena Wembley, a large performance hall located a stone’s throw from the mythical London stadium, to attend the twelfth and final debate between the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Liz Truss, and her opponent, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, both contenders for the post of prime minister.
The suspense is weak at the end of an internal primary largely disconnected from the concerns of the British, paralyzed by the massive economic crisis which threatens their country. According to the numerous polls carried out since the end of July, Liz Truss is almost certain to enter 10 Downing Street on September 5, replacing Boris Johnson, pushed by his own deputies to leave the head of the Tories following the scandal. of “partygate”.
“I’m 99.9% sure Liz will be nominated next Monday, she’s the renewal candidate, she hasn’t been fined for partygate, unlike Mr. Sunak.” insists Jordan Kiss, a law student fan of Mme Truss.
At his side, Mohammed Rahman, a supporter of Rishi Sunak, grimaces: “He is the best on the economy, he still has a chance”, wants to believe this east Londoner, who, like many in the audience, “regret” the departure of Boris Johnson. “It is unfair that he was pushed at the start, we activists should have had our say. “Boris has this ability to bond with people, not Liz Truss, who seems so robotic,” regrets Anita, a supporter of Mr. Sunak, without illusions about the chances of his champion.
At 42, Rishi Sunak had everything to win this primary: a praised record within the Johnson cabinet and a rather realistic program, placing the fight against inflation (+ 10.1% in July) at the forefront of its priorities. But he failed to counter the rumour, maintained by those close to Boris Johnson, according to which he had conspired to bring down the Prime Minister, still very popular with the 160,000 members of the Conservative Party. Conversely, Liz Truss, 47, managed to pass for the candidate of continuity, by overplaying loyalty to Mr. Johnson.
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This libertarian-leaning Brexiteer, swearing only by the free market and the “less” state, campaigned on a single proposal – all-out tax cuts – perfectly calibrated to seduce members of the Tories, but which seems completely inadequate given the grim economic situation facing the UK. Inflation is likely to rise further, to reach 22% in 2023, according to frightening forecasts from the bank Goldman Sachs.
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