Why Truss said NO to Channel 4 Interview - Conservative Party Leadership Contest

Guardian - Live Blog: Reports in its 1.37pm post the following, " Sunak is regarded as a better media performer than Truss, and this may help to explain why he has agreed to sit down with Neil......Candidates who are well ahead in an election (as the polling suggests Truss is) are often reluctant to debate because they have little to gain and much to lose.  "

Lets Get Real:

The Sunak Campaign might be to slick for its own good, the UK is not the US, when Labour Party did it, we had New Labour, Tony Blair and the Iraq War and it didn't end well, while Blair was applauded out of the House of Commons we had Gordon Brown as PM, that was a disaster from start to finish.  Thus UK voters and Conservative Members might be wary of being a Presidential Candidate for PM.  The very fact that Truss is not great on TV shows that she is REAL, no polish, the real thing.  Let's recall Lady T changed her image over the years, she become a natural on TV.  Thus one can expect should Liz Truss becomes PM she will will improve her tv performance.   The focus today will be the debate on BBC 1 at 9 between Sunak and Truss, it will be interesting to see their different presentation style, Sunak slick, while Truss is is less so.   Let's be honest neither of them is PM Boris, but then that is the reason Boris fell, you can be natural on TV and funny and still be bought down by your faults.    Sunak has to get the Conservative members to have another look at him, he needs to say something nice about Boris, even if does not mean it, he has to look sorry for his part in the Boris downfall.  While Truss has to defend her tax cuts pledge and be ready for Sunak to go for her throat, that is the only way he can win. 

Sunak to take on Andrew Neil - Conservative Leadership Contest

BBC News - Live Blog: Reports in its 1.46pm post the following, " Sunak takes jab at Truss for declining Andrew Neil interview....Rishi Sunak has taken a swipe at his leadership rival Liz Truss for declining to take part in a live interview on Channel 4 this Friday with political journalist Andrew Neil.  "

Lets Get Real: 

The Foreign Secretary is WISE not to go on Andrew Neil show, he is a great reporter and reads the fine print, he is not going to give Sunak a easy interview, he will look at his record as Chancellor, also the biggest tax hike since 1949.  The Sunak Campaign has nothing to lose, it needs to make up with the Conservative grass roots, they do not trust him for putting the political knife in to PM Boris, also taxes at a 70 year high do not help.  The Sunak Campaign has been very slick, very American, also it has moved right, thus this is Channel 4 expect a rough interview.  This blog can not understand why the Conservative Party said YES to a interview of the Conservative Candidates when they were going through the MPs process of the contest.  Channel 4 is peeved that it is being SOLD, thus expect that to come up, also why Sunak in Cabinet opposed the Northern Ireland Protocol in Cabinet but has changed his mind since.  It will be interesting to see who wins the BBC DEBATE tonight, and the different categories, the general public, conservative MPs and finally Conservative members. 

Liz Truss the TRUE BREXIT SUPPORTER - After Brexit / Boris

Daily Mail: Reports " Liz Truss vows to throw off EU chains by the end of next year in a bid to unleash Britain’s post-Brexit potential, if she becomes the next Prime Minister  "

Lets Get Real:

This is the type of news that Brexit supporters want to HEAR, that the OLD CHAINS of the EU will be thrown off, it should be noted that Rishi Sunak has stated the same thing, but it seems his PR is not up to the Truss Campaign, at the end of the day it always comes back to BREXIT, Truss is a convert, and like most converts to most things, they push the limits, Truss can be trusted to deliver on Brexit.   In his speech this morning Sunak stated the he had supported leave and voted for leave in 2016, thus to confirm that he is a BREXIT SUPPORTER, the very fact the he had to state that shows that he does start as the underdog in the Conservative Party Leadership contest.  Liz Truss might have been remainer but she has seen the light, or seen were the Conservative members are on the subject. The Sunak has a couple of weeks to show that he is a true Brexit supporter and will be tough with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol. 

Sunak on the Northern Ireland Protocol - After Brexit / Boris

Sky News - Live Blog: Reports in its 2.36pm post ( July 22 ) the following by the Sunak Campaign , " "As a believer in Brexit from the beginning, Rishi has been clear that he would continue with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill until and unless the EU says it is willing to come to the table to renegotiate the contents of the Protocol......"Based on what we have seen today, the commission is committed to taking petty and unwelcome steps that infringe on our sovereign rights, rather than addressing the real issues around the Protocol."  "

Lets Get Real:

It is a pity that the former Chancellor had not said this earlier in his campaign, the lack of talking about the subject has allowed Foreign Secretary Truss to take the LEAD when it comes to the EU and Brexit, the petty actions by the French over Dover have showed that the French and the EU cannot be trusted.  Also Rishi Sunak has stated that the Northern Protocol Bill is a asset he will place on the table to get a better deal with the EU.  The DUP will not be happy, they see the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill as making them part of the UK again, thus Sunak would face problems if he becomes the PM, the EU will think he is WEAK and will buckle under pressure from Brussels.  This this blog is going from indifference to the outcome of the leadership campaign to supporting Liz Truss.  The Northern Ireland Protocol is that important. Go LIZ.

Liz Truss has a 20% lead over Sunak with Party Members - After Brexit / Boris

Sky News - Live Blog: Reports in its 4.23pm post the following, " 

Liz Truss 'has 20 point lead over Sunak' - YouGov...

Patrick English, from YouGov, has told Sky News that Liz Truss has a 20-point lead over Rishi Sunak among Conservative members, according to their most recent polling.  "

Lets Get Real:

The Conservative membership was more loyal to PM Boris than his MPs, they tend to be older, white, and to the right of their MPs.  Conservative Members want to see low taxes, a smaller state, and finishing Brexit.  Truss voted REMAIN in 2016 but she has become a CONVERT, and is now at the present pushing the Northern Ireland Protocol through the House of Commons.  While Rishi Sunak supported Brexit in 2016 but was very cool to the Protocol Bill when discussed in the Cabinet.  Liz Truss wants TAX CUTS NOW, that always goes down well with Party members and the general public.  Of course we have a long Summer to go, it would be risky to make a prediction, but his blog will take the risk, it will be Truss by a few % points, one can expect the Chancellor to take the fight to the Foreign Secretary, and there will be meetings for the party members to meet and grill the candidates, politicians make mistakes, let's see who can follow the script.   On the whole the blog is indifferent  about the result, Sunak has promised to rip up EU laws when he comes in to office, but first he has to get elected, Rishi just might be to rich even for Conservative members.  Thus on the whole on the Liz side, we have all made mistakes, Liz was a Liberal Democrat and Remainer, but she has reformed.  Thus political sins have to be forgiven. 

The Final Round of the Conservative Leadership Contest - After Brexit/Boris

BBC News - Live Blog: Reports in its 4.01pm post the following, " Mordaunt knocked out of contest...Penny Mordaunt has been knocked out of the Conservative leadership contest, meaning Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will face each other in the run-off decided by party members. "

Lets Get Real:

This blog and others got the result right, its down to Former Chancellor Sunak versus the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.  On the whole this blog support Liz, she did not resign and betray PM Boris, while Sunak started the ball rolling that lead to the downfall of Boris.   The Foreign Secretary taking the Northern Ireland Protocol through the House of Commons, one will be interested to hear if Sunak becomes PM will he use the Bill if it is needed to place pressure on the EU.  It is reported that in Cabinet that the Chancellor was opposed to using the bill as a way to place pressure on the EU.  The recent POLLS of Conservative membership  have shown that the membership support LIZ over Rishi, Liz wants TAX CUTS KNOW, while Sunak wants to get inflation down then go for tax cuts.  The UK economy needs a push to stay away from going in to recession, BIG TAX CUTS should help.  The Summer is a long time, we shall see if Liz can keep her 20% over Sunak, a weeks is a long time in politics. 

The 4th Round of the Conservative Leadership Contest - After Brexit / Boris

BBC News - Live Blog: Reports in its 3.03pm post the following, " Rishi Sunak - 118, Penny Mordaunt - 92, Liz Truss - 86 and finally Kemi Badenoch - 59 who is OUT,  "

Lets Get Real:

Thus Kemi Badenoch is OUT, the BIG QUESTION is were will her votes go, as Kemi is seen as of being right in the Party, one can postulate that her voters will go for Liz.  Thus it would fit my prediction that the final two would be Sunak or Truss.  Of course there is the problem we are dealing with the most devious back stabbing electorate in HISTORY, Conservative MPs.  There will be a lot of talks going on over the night, the suggestion of job offers or other trinkets that a new Conservative leader can give out. If I was a betting man I would put £5 on it being Sunak and Truss, of course this blog could be WRONG, we shall know at 4pm tomorrow.