Thread by @Telegraph

🔵 Truss vs Sunak: Watch live tonight, 7pm, on our website.

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are set to face Conservative voters at a members' hustings in Cheltenham, hosted by The Telegraph's @CamillaTominey, on August 11.

Follow the latest ⬇️

🗣️ Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have exchanged many heated words during the race to become the next prime minister, yet their actions as MPs have often spoken louder.

Explore their voting records and where they stand here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

❓How did we get here?

The hustings events so far have provided some of the box office moments of the campaign.

Find out what happened at the previous hustings events here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

❓What will be the format for tonight's hustings?

Both candidates will have the chance to deliver a speech.

@CamillaTominey will then grill the candidates separately.

Both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will also face a Q&A with the audience of Tory members
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Rishi Sunak resisted attempts to cut Brexit red tape, two Cabinet ministers who helped steer the economy with him claimed, after 24 hours of bitter briefing wars in the Tory leadership race.

Read the full story here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

➡️Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, has arrived at the venue a few minutes ago.

Liz Truss is yet to be sighted
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️@CamillaTominey behind the scenes at the hustings hosted by The Telegraph.

Follow the latest updates here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

@benrileysmith, The Telegraph's Political Editor has the latest from behind the scenes⤵️

🔵The latest policy announcement from the Rishi Sunak campaign has just dropped.

Mr Sunak has set out a series of measures he would take as PM to boost the UK's resilience to drought.

Find out what they are here⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

@DominicPenna has been scoping out the #ReadyForRishi and #LizForLeader merchandise stands ahead of tonight’s hustings

➡️Liz Truss's campaign offers supporters branded bottled water at tonights hustings ⤵️

Conservative party members are sharing their thoughts on the two candidates ahead of the hustings ⤵️

Another told @camillahmturner he is "leaning towards Rishi"

🔵The atmosphere continues to build in Cheltenham as we prepare to welcome Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to the stage

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵The start time has been pushed back a little.

Such is the number of people attending this evening's event in Cheltenham that the start time has had to be pushed back a little to make sure everyone is able to take their seats.

We should hopefully be underway at about 7.15pm

🔵Telegraph readers will be able to express their view on who is winning tonight's Tory leadership hustings event by using our live voting tool here ⤵️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

You will be able to "up" or "down" vote the candidate who you think is doing the best or the worst

🔴Watch Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak face The Telegraph's Camilla Tominey in Cheltenham ⤵️

➡️Andrew Stephenson, the chairman of the Conservative Party, has addressed the audience in Cheltenham.

Mr Stephenson said he is staying neutral in the contest but believes Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are both "fantastic candidates"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Brandon Lewis, the former Northern Ireland secretary, has introduced Liz Truss.

Mr Lewis said that during Ms Truss's time in government her focus has always been on "delivering, getting things done for the people across the United Kingdom"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Liz Truss is now on stage.

Setting out her tax plans, Ms Truss said that reversing a hike to National Insurance is the right thing to do.

"we should never have done it... we can still afford to pay for the NHS and social care out of general taxation"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️Liz Truss said that as prime minister she would extend the Government's Rwanda asylum seeker plan, with deals struck with more countries.

Ms Truss also said that she will "make sure that British legislators cannot be overruled by the ECHR"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

➡️Liz Truss said that people in the UK need to have a "bit more respect for ourselves and our values".

She said she would not give into "doom mongers" who are trying to "talk us into a negative cycle"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Alex Chalk, Tory MP for Cheltenham, is introducing Rishi Sunak.

Mr Chalk listed some of Mr Sunak's backers and said "we all see in Rishi... a rare find in British politics", referring to a comment previously made by Lord Hague
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Rishi Sunak is now on stage.

Mr Sunak said that the "best way to spread opportunity" is to ensure "the birthright of every child is a world class education"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

➡️Mr Sunak also said his three main goals as Tory leader would be to "restore trust", "rebuild the economy" and "reunite our country".

"I haven't always said the things that people may want to hear but I have said the things that people need to hear"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️Rishi Sunak said his immediate focus as PM would be on tackling inflation.

He said: "We have seen this story before. Inflation is the enemy that makes everyone poorer"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Liz Truss is now being grilled by @CamillaTominey.

Asked how she would lower people's energy bills, she said the starting point would be helping through tax cuts.

"[But we] shouldn't be taking money off people in taxes and giving it back as benefits"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️Liz Truss said that she is "low tax, pro growth, pro opportunity".

Asked if she is therefore "low tax and high borrowing" to pay for it, Ms Truss said: "My tax cuts... will cost £30 billion. That is affordable within our current budget"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Liz Truss was asked a series of yes/no questions. Here are her responses:

Cut foreign aid: "I will keep it as it is."

Leave the ECHR: "If we need to, but I'd rather legislate through the British Bill of Rights"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️Sack 91,000 civil servants: "I will certainly reduce the size of the civil service."

Scrap the BBC licence fee: "I will reform the BBC licence fee."

Net Zero: "I will keep the Net Zero pledge"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔴NEW: 'Real danger of us talking ourselves into a recession', Truss tells The Telegraph's Camilla Tominey

Follow the latest updates on our politics liveblog here⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Asked by an audience member what she would consider success to be after her first 90 days in Downing Street.

Ms Truss said she would want to show that the UK is "moving in the right direction" and that pressures on household finances are "being reduced"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️@CamillaTominey is now grilling Rishi Sunak.

Asked how he would help families dealing with rising energy bills, Rishi Sunak said that "everyone will need some help" and he cited his proposed cut to VAT on energy bills as a measure that will do just that
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔵Rishi Sunak was asked if he supported the Privileges Committee probe into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over Partygate.

Mr Sunak said: "I fully respect the MPs that are on the committee to make the right decisions"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

➡️Asked if he had spoken to Mr Johnson since he quit as chancellor, Mr Sunak said:

"I have messaged and called but unsurprisingly he hasn't returned my calls"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🗣️Rishi Sunak was told that as someone who went to a private school he had been afforded opportunities that many people would not have access to.

Mr Sunak hit back and said: "I am not going to apologise for what my parents did for me, you must be joking"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

➡️Rishi Sunak was asked how he would engage with voters to win the next general election.

Mr Sunak said that he would seek to raise "far more money" for the Conservative Party to pay for "dedicated campaign managers in all of our target areas"
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔴Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak went head to head on Thursday night at a members' hustings in Cheltenham, hosted by The Telegraph's Camilla Tominey.

But who won?

Find out what The Telegraph writer's thought here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

☁️The calm after the storm: A post-hustings analysis from @DominicPenna

See who our readers thought won the debate on our live blog ➡️ telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

🔴NEW: Rishi Sunak has claimed Liz Truss's plan for tackling the cost-of-living crisis could push "millions" of the most vulnerable people in the UK into "real destitution".

Read more here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

Liz Truss seemed to think she was in Derbyshire while Rishi Sunak squeezed in some local hot-button issues, says @Madz_Grant

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

@Madz_Grant 🕵️ Behind the scenes at The Telegraph hustings, @CamillaTominey says Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss didn't want to interact at all

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

@Madz_Grant @CamillaTominey 📳 The former chancellor revealed: "I have messaged and called [Boris] but unsurprisingly he hasn't returned my calls"

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

@Madz_Grant @CamillaTominey 💷 The Foreign Secretary has ruled out a windfall tax on energy companies if she becomes PM

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/…

📹 Watch @CamillaTominey's reaction to the hustings – including why she thinks the race has got "nasty"

📹 Watch: There's a bit of a mix of reactions from the audience at our hustings...

🗣️ "I'm not too enthusiastic about the future"

🗣️ "They're both absolutely wonderful"