Rishi Sunak made a slight swipe at Liz Truss today by insisting he supports Brexit in 2016 and saying he wants to get the job done by tearing off the EU’s red tape.
The former Prime Minister moved on to polish his credentials by describing how he defied warnings that his career would be over in favor of Leaving the referendum.
Although he did not mention Ms. Truss by name, critics have pointed out that the Secretary of State endorsed Remain six years ago – even though she is now taking a hard line on Brussels.
The debate comes as the five surviving candidates prepare for a really good or bad televised debate tonight, ahead of the next round of voting by MPs tomorrow.
Mr. Sunak has topped the votes so far and it looks like members of the Tory will head into the head-to-head vote, but there is a huge struggle for the remaining place in the final contest.
Commerce Secretary Penny Mordaunt garnered significant support in second place, but she is facing fierce questions about her stance on gender issues.
Meanwhile, Ms. Truss has called on rightists to unite behind her – and Kemi Badenoch is also making a strong showing. Ms Badenoch was boosted by a ConservativeHome survey that found her to be activists’ favorite.
Although Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat appeared to have the least support from MPs in the remaining area, he performed well in the first debate on Friday night.
Rishi Sunak (pictured in Teeside on Friday) moved to polish his credentials by describing how he defied warnings that his career would be over in favor of Leaving the referendum public opinion
Commerce Secretary Penny Mordaunt (left) has garnered significant support in second place, but Liz Truss (right) has called on rightists to unite behind her
In a fresh pitch to victory over Brexiteers, Mr Sunak has promised to scrap hundreds of remaining EU laws and regulations if he wins the keys to No10.
He will appoint a Brexit minister to pass 2,400 EU laws still on the statute books, and recommends scrapping or overhauling them within 100 days of Mr Sunak stepping into No 10.
In an article for the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Sunak stressed that he was always in favor of Brexit even though he had been warned it could damage his political career.
‘I have been advised by people I respect not only that leaving the EU is a bad idea for Britain; They also warned me that supporting Brexit would mean the end of my political career,’ Mr Sunak said.
‘I took the advice, took it seriously and weighed my decision carefully. But none of that changed my belief that Britain would be better off outside the EU, unshaken from its low-growth, bureaucratic mindset. ‘
Mr Sunak said: ‘We need to take advantage of these opportunities by removing the bulk of unnecessary regulation and the low growth mentality that we have inherited from the EU.
‘I have a plan that, if elected prime minister, will be scrapped or reformed, by the time the next election all EU laws, red tape and bureaucracy are still in the statute book. stifle our economy.
‘As prime minister, I will go further and faster in using the freedoms Brexit has given us to cut the massive volume of EU regulations and bureaucracy that are holding back our development.
‘If we do this, we can put our economy back on the fast track and become the most prosperous country in Europe.’
The review will include a major revision of the remaining EU financial services regulations with the goal of triggering a ‘Big Bang 2.0’ for the City to help the City maintain its position as a leading financial hub. world top.
Mr. Sunak also indicated that he would amend the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules and speed up clinical trials by cutting the European Union red tape.
The latest ConservativeHome poll shows Ms Badenoch at 31 per cent – with Ms Truss, Ms Mordaunt and Mr Sunak combined around 20 per cent. Although this survey is not scientific, it is closely watched by MPs and ministers.
Mr Sunak came out on top in the first two rounds of voting by MPs, although he still lacked the 120 votes needed to secure him a spot in the final vote.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Ms Truss said she would seek to abolish Stalinist housing targets – which are unpopular with some Tory MPs – if she is elected.
‘I want to abolish Whitehall’s top-to-bottom Stalinist housing goals. I think that’s the wrong way to generate economic growth,’ she said.
‘The best way to generate economic growth is from the bottom up by creating investment incentives through the tax system, simplifying regulations.’
Kemi Badenoch has also put in a strong performance and has been boosted by a Conservative Party survey that found her to be the activists’ favourite.
Foreign affairs committee chairman Tom Tugendhat appeared to have the least support from MPs in the remaining sector, but he performed well in the first debate on Friday night
