British prime minister contenders set to clash in second TV debate

The resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has placed the nation's political system in a bind. He resigned in the wake of numerous scandals, and there is no clear successor in sight. The fight for the position of the next leader is becoming more fractious and volatile, exposing differences within the governing Conservative Party. The chosen five contenders are still vying for their place at the helm of the party and the country, and they're set to clash in their next televised debate on Sunday (July 17). As per Reuters, the upcoming debate may see them renewing "hostilities" over tax policy and issues like transgender rights.

Among the 358 Conservative lawmakers, Rishi Sunak, the former finance minister who was recently referred to as a "treacherous" by a top leader, has emerged as the front-runner. This week, additional votes will be held to narrow the field of candidates to a final two.

Reuters reported that in a poll conducted by JL Partners for the Sunday Telegraph, almost half of Conservative voters favoured him above his major competitors, foreign minister Liz Truss and junior minister Penny Mordaunt.

Economic policy was a major topic of argument in the first TV debate on Friday (July 15). Sunak even called Truss's proposals to eliminate payroll tax and corporation tax rises at a cost of almost $30 billion a year a "fairy tale."

In response, she said that the tax increases proposed by her rival proposed while Sunak was still in command of the Treasury—undermined business investments at a time when the economy was in trouble.

Sharp disagreements regarding transgender issues and Johnson's sincerity also arose.

Conservative legislators will take another vote on Monday when the candidate with the fewest votes will be removed, and the last two will be selected by July 21.

Following that, party members will choose a winner, whose name will be declared on September 5. Whoever wins the election will have to deal with high inflation, slow economic growth, and the public's lack of faith in politics following Johnson's scandal-plagued tenure in office.