It would have been nice to hear about how Liz plans to run the country, when in charge.

[Jay3344]

Liz Truss pulls out of Tory leadership interview with BBC veteran Nick Robinson

It would have been nice to hear about how Liz plans to run the country.

@itsgettingweird Of course she will get her plans through Parliament - she will have a majority of around 76 MPs. Of do you honestly believe back bench Tories would vote against her plans, bring down the Government and force a general election? (Hint: they won't)

People are really over-thinking this. Why would she do an interview? To get more votes, if she needs them. If she's already on track to win, then she's got nothing to gain from doing one.

If any politician wants to let anyone know what she stands for, the sensible way to do it is with a carefully crafted publication, or speech. Only a desperate candidate who sees no other way to get to their goal would agree to an interview.

Presumably she agreed to the interview when she thought she might need it, as the time approached, she changed her mind, which she's perfectly entitled to do.

I dislike her changing her mind only because it's evidence that she's going to win.

I'd like to know what support people who are not on benefits or pensioners are going to get. Eg household income of 45-75k who are the jam families. Constant talk of targeting those on benefits but what about 2 worker families who are above the threshold? Not sure about social tariffs, seems very unfair and arbitrary cutoffs. Tax cuts would help normal people who are struggling, this crisis doesn't just affect those on benefits.

@Boomboom22 If you earn 45-75k you are likely able to afford the bill increases, even if it means cutting back on other stuff. It is very unlikely the Government will essentially fund people on that income maintain a lifestyle they are used to.

I have voted for the Tory party in its previous incarnations but the current Tory party is justifiably seen as far right by the majority of the British public. They don’t see a party out to help the the British public, they now just see a party out to line their own and their sponsors pockets. The UK public aren’t as stupid as Tories seem to think. The Tories will get their arses kicked at the next election, and it will be richly deserved!

"People are really over-thinking this. Why would she do an interview?"

I think the assumption would be that she would want to reach out to citizens and set out her vision in a universally reachable medium (TV).

I'd expect someone who has had the media training she has had to be able to get her message across and withstand questioning.

Obviously that is naive but it's not necessarily the wrong expectations to have of a Prime Minister.

She may well get initial plans through Parliament. However once it becomes clear that they'll need to ditch parts of the levelling up agenda things will start getting trickier to hold together. Plus Sunak had significant support amongst MPs if not members. I don't think you can necessarily rely on unity beyond New Year (and the next energy price increase).

Her supporters/ election team think that she’s home and dry already, why would she risk an interview with an intelligent political journalist (in which she’s almost guaranteed to say something mildly stupid, possibly something utterly disastrous)?

I am a higher rate tax payer. These energy bills will hit us hard as we live in a nice big draughty house. No one is going to help me with the bills I am going to get (worlds tiniest violin).

What I think would be fair is to have a tiered billing system. So for the first x units you use you are charged £y, then the next x units you use you are charged £2y, and the next x units you use you are charged £3y. A cash lump sum is given to poorer households to go towards their bills, and of course extra to anyone who has to run medical equipment etc. the cash lump sum is paid for by income tax rises. We need to incentivise reduction in energy use while protecting the poor. This does that. It would certainly help motivate me to get my finger out to start insulating the house better.

The fact that she couldn't even face questions from a well-known Tory sympathiser like Nick Robinson speaks absolute volumes.

She's realised that all the extreme right wing stuff she's been promising Tory party voters is absolute bollocks that will never work, but doesn't want that exposed. It would certainly have been highly entertaining to watch her trying to defend it, though. I'm really quite looking forward to the next election when she will struggle more to squirm out of debates with other party leaders.

Barring any major catastrophe she's IN. So WTAF would her 'team' let her open her mouth?!?!

They need to do us all a favour & tell Boris to stay. He's far from perfect, but he's still the best of the 3

Into the ground I suspect

Really? You think a couple who earn 22.5k each can afford to keep their lifestyle? It's only just above minimum wage! And 75k household is 37.5k each so not even a higher rate tax payer. Glad to see you only want help for the very poorest and stuff the majority!! Obviously those on higher rate 50k each plus but 45-75k household is very average and in no way high incomes.

They need to do us all a favour & tell Boris to stay. He's far from perfect, but he's still the best of the 3

absolutely not, he’s a proven liar and incompetent.

besides, whoever is leader it’s the same party. All the candidates have followed the same line throughout. The problem is very little to do with the leader and more the ingrained rot throughout the current Conservative party. There is no ‘good’ option without complete reform and redirection of the whole party.

After most of his back benchers voted that they had no confidence in him, and 54 office holders said they couldn't work with him any longer, that would have been a hell of an admission about the dross that constitutes the rest of the Parliamentary Conservative party.

I just cannot believe she's going to be our next leader

I wish that there was an actual 'voting day' for the party members (I know it's not really practical though, but maybe a 'voting week'). Most of them probably voted at the start of the process, and anything that the candidates have done or said in the last couple of weeks probably doesn't matter anyway, which doesn't instil confidence that the party members are voting on policies or anything.

@Boomboom22 If you earn 45-75k you are likely able to afford the bill increases, even if it means cutting back on other stuff

But you will have no money for hospitality, retail, home improvements or holidays. And neither will anyone else,

So there will be no economy as thousands of hairdressers, nail and lash bars, pubs/cafes/sandwich places, furntiure and diy shops, air bnb’s, hotels and millions of other things go under as no one can afford them.

We are in that income group. We can meet the first lot of bills. Come the next rise, that’s the end of any fun spending. Ergo the economy collapses as millions of people stop spending money.

No shit Sherlock.

Has it been confirmed

I keep thinking it must be a bad dream

Are those small number of tories wielding the vote really so out of touch and lacking in intelligence not to realise that voting for Truss is guaranteeing a Labour government....

Yes it appears they really are that thick.

Has it been confirmed

5th September I believe but appears to be a given

Have I missed some news? Where was it originally reported that's she's almost guaranteed to win?

Truss had a 32 point lead 18/8. It certainly has been presented as a done deal.

news.sky.com/story/amp/liz-truss-set-to-win-tory-leadership-race-by-decisive-margin-sky-news-poll-reveals-12675498

She’s a slow-witted dolt. Of course she’s going to be the next PM.

Two more years before we can finally get rid of this pile of shite that passes for a government. So much more damage that they can and will continue to do to the country in that time.

I honestly can't believe that she is the person going to lead us through this crisis. Her track record, her entire current approach to the crisis and the leadership contest, everything about her just screams that she is out of her depth and should be managing a shop somewhere. How can she be the best we have. Depressing.