London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Rishi Sunak camp says debates against Truss will change Tory members’ minds

Rishi Sunak camp says debates against Truss will change Tory members’ minds

Sunak supporters claim Truss will perform poorly at hustings, as former chancellor launches fightback in Grantham
Rishi Sunak will launch his fightback in the Conservative leadership race from Margaret Thatcher’s birthplace this weekend, with his supporters urging party members to delay voting until they have seen him take on Liz Truss in more debates.

Sunak’s campaign team is drawing up plans to try to reverse what one called a “worrying trend” after Truss pulled ahead by 24 percentage points in polling of party members.

About 160,000 members will have the chance to decide the next prime minister when they receive ballots from 1-5 August. They can cast their votes immediately or wait until closer to the 1 September deadline.

In a speech in Grantham on Saturday, the Lincolnshire home town of Thatcher, Sunak will try to move the debate on from tax cuts to the NHS by pledging to put the health service on a “war footing” with a vaccines-style taskforce set up to drive down the “emergency” of “massive backlogs”.

“If we do not immediately set in train a radically different approach the NHS will come under unsustainable pressure and break,” he is expected to say. “And so from day one, I will make tackling the NHS backlog my number one public service priority.”

A blitz of media appearances and visits are expected over the next fortnight, alongside a dozen hustings where the candidates will go head-to-head over the course of the six-week campaign.

Sources supporting Sunak said that while party members would be able to vote from 1 August, they would be urged not to write him off until later in the contest.

“We all think she [Truss] is going to be so bad at the hustings that members will change their minds,” one said. Another predicted: “He will shine at the hustings, whereas Truss is mental and will be found out.”

Sunak will also stress more strongly that the Tories could lose the next election under Truss, and that he is best placed to take on Labour.

To demonstrate the point, his team are said to be planning trips to “blue wall” constituencies where huge Conservative majorities were overturned in byelections, such as North Shropshire, and Tiverton and Honiton in Devon.

Wary of being outflanked by Truss on personal tax cuts, Sunak’s supporters are pushing for him to directly attack the plans by arguing taxpayers’ money would be better spent on new and refurbished hospitals than on debt repayments necessary under the foreign secretary’s borrowing plans.

One ally summed up the argument as: “If you bugger the economics, then there’s no way you can do all the other stuff you might want to do because you’re constantly fighting fires.”

Robert Hayward, a Tory peer and elections expert, said despite the YouGov poll putting Truss ahead on 62% to Sunak’s 38% among party members, excluding those undecided, he was “not convinced” the result was a foregone conclusion.

“I’m absolutely clear that the fluidity of opinion that’s been displayed by members and voters in recent weeks indicates that everything could change as a result of the debates and other political events,” he said.

But Chris Hopkins, associate director of Savanta ComRes, said Sunak’s popularity with party members was “dire”. He added: “I don’t think Sunak’s resignation and perceived disloyalty to Boris [Johnson] has much to do with it, it just feels as if the membership are punishing him for his decisions he made as chancellor.”

Sunak has also set his sights on getting the backing of more than half of Tory MPs. However, some of the 100-plus who backed Penny Mordaunt are reluctant to back Sunak.

One said: “I would rather Rishi to Liz, but both were briefing against Penny, both either used the trans issue as a weapon or stood by and let it happen. I don’t trust either of them.”

Encouraging Tory members to hold off from voting until later in the contest may also prove fruitless. “Our members are stubborn bastards,” a Sunak supporter admitted. “I can’t imagine we’ll get lots of shift.”

Fraser Nelson, the editor of Spectator magazine, also predicted: “Some Tory members may dutifully wait until they have seen all 12 jousts. But most will get the voting over with quickly, then go on holiday.”

Ballots in the Tory leadership race will begin to drop in members’ letterboxes from 1 to 5 August. The packs will contain a code to vote online or they can return a paper form.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
×