Why Sunak may have to change his brand to Rishi the risk taker
Monday’s debate was supposed to be a turning point for Rishi Sunak, a moment billed as his chance to change his fortunes after polling suggested he was trailing Liz Truss in the Tory leadership contest.
Her awkwardness, her less fluent grasp of detail could be shown up in the head-to-head – similarly to how poorly she performed in the last two debates. “The more they see of her, the more they like him,” was the refrain from Sunak supporters.
But snap polls taken after Monday’s debate suggest Sunak can no longer rely on his rival’s potential stumble.
There are now louder whispers among supporters of the former chancellor that the strategy of his campaign has been poorly judged and allowed his rival to paint him as a timid socialist bean counter.
Sunak launched his campaign by talking of “difficult choices” and the looming economic crisis. That is the mould that he is now set in, which his supporters fear he could later regret. Over and again in the leadership debates, he interrupted Truss to point out the dire situation the country was facing and the risks of further borrowing and escalating inflation.
His team would say that someone had to bring the debate back down to planet Earth – when Truss had so far tied herself to £38bn of spending commitments each year. But it has led to some backers shaking their heads at his approach.
One veteran Tory strategist, aligned with Sunak, said it was their campaign strategy that was fuelling Truss’s rise. “I don’t like the campaign message: ‘I’m sensible and keep tax hikes etc,’” the strategist said. “It’s very bad framing.”
Another MP said the campaign badly needed to focus on Sunak’s values and prime ministerial appeal – as well as highlight how he was prepared to be bold.
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