Tory leadership: Rishi Sunak in profile
The Tory leadership contest got underway this week, after the first and second rounds of voting took place. Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi, and Suella Braverman were eliminated, leaving five hopefuls left in the race to Number 10.
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Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat and Penny Mordaunt are the five Tory MPs who took part in the debate.
Mr Sunak and Ms Mordaunt were billed as the favourites in the competition in the days leading up to the debate, but the televised discussion gave each candidate the chance to show their personality and win support.
Questions focused on what each candidate would try to achieve if elected, and how they would rebuild trust in British politics.
During one moment in the debate, host Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked the audience to raise their hands if they trust politicians, and zero went up.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak speechless as Tugendhat exposes his real views
Who won the Tory leadership debate?
Mr Sunak and Ms Truss used their experience in government to strike authoritative tones, with Mr Sunak in particular making promises to be a serious and reliable prime minister.
Ms Truss vowed she would use her record in government to improve the country, but often the tone came across as predictable and too familiar.
The other three appeared a lot more relaxed, and this helped them get across their messages more effectively in some stages.
During a question over whether Boris Johnson is honest, a number of answers were muttered, but Mr Tugendhat pleased the audience with a blunt: “No.”