Britain | The maverick v the wonk

Parsing the policies of Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak

The economy shows up the differences between the Tory leadership contenders

Montage by DGBLeft: Liz Truss Alamy 2JJXTFE REUTERS/Henry NichollsRight: Rishi Sunak Photo by NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13085082af)

At the hustings to choose the new leader of the Conservative Party, and Britain’s next prime minister, Tory members have visceral responses to some issues. When Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the candidates, offer up canards about aspiration and freedom, grunts of approval rumble around the room. When they say that fields are for food, not solar panels, members clap. Barbs about the French get throatier roars than attacks on Vladimir Putin.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The maverick v the wonk”

Walkies

From the August 20th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Stock price information displayed on a board at the London Stock Exchange.

Britain’s brokers are diversifying and becoming less British

London’s depleted stockmarket is forcing them to change

Sculpture by Charles Jencks of DNA double helix Cambridge University.

What a buzzy startup reveals about Britain’s biotech sector

Lots of clever scientists, not enough business nous


Illustration of Kier Starmer facing away next to the stripes of the Union Jack and the stars of the EU flag

Britain’s government lacks a clear Europe policy

It should be more ambitious over getting closer to the EU


The Rachel Reeves theory of growth

The chancellor says it’s her number-one priority. We ask her what that means for Britain