Sunak’s strong performance in the Tory final probably wasn’t enough for a shock win | Political news

It’s done. It’s the hustings marathon program.

After 12 two-hour sessions over six weeks, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak would face no more questions from team members – some amused, some delighted.

It was 24 hours of speeches, interrogations, cheers and sometimes cheers that some Tory MPs fear have damaged the party so badly with blue-on-blue attacks that they gave Labor a 13-point lead in several opinion polls.

The leadership roadshow began in Leeds at the end of July and by the finale at the crowded and noisy Wembley Arena has come to an end. Voting ends at 5pm on Friday and the new leader will be crowned at a ceremony in central London at lunchtime next Monday.

Truss and Sunak share how to deal with energy – Latest Politics

Here, it must be said, there is less harshness and less goofiness than in previous camps.

There seems to be a mood, which is when the Tories put an end to bitterness and bad blood and come together when a new leader is elected.

Rishi Sunak is eloquent about Liz Truss, describing her as a “wonderful secretary of state” and a “proud and compassionate Conservative”.

However, Liz Truss was not overly complimenting her opponent, and a cordial handshake was promised late in the evening and the completion of the bark treatment never materialized.

They appeared on stage together for a short time, but stood awkwardly next to each other and seemed to avoid eye contact.

The evening here began with Sir Iain Duncan Smith introducing Mrs. Truss. No surprises there. Then, in an unexpected moment, it was Michael Gove – a late supporter of the former prime minister – who introduced Mr. Sunak.

Last weekend, Mr Gove broke his silence on the leadership campaign in a Times article in which he said Ms Truss’ economic policy was “a holiday away from reality”.

He was less concerned here and also surprised to receive a lot of praise for Boris Johnson.

Surprisingly, after what supporters of the outgoing prime minister claimed was Mr Gove’s mass disloyalty towards Mr Johnson in 2016, when he undermined the Vote ally’s leadership bid.

Mr Gove also called on the party to unite behind whoever wins. Some of the Gove critics at the party might think he’s a bit rich.

Is Mr Gove planning to leave Westminster? The Lib Dems are certainly gearing up for a by-election in his Surrey Heath constituency and he would certainly be tempted by The Times’ editorial rights if it were to be offered.

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As for the good news at this finale, Ms. Truss said she was prepared to consider the abolition of mandatory speed limits on smart motorways.

Perhaps surprising is that she did not promise to pass on the proposal to switch from British-built Jaguars to German Audis to senior ministers.

Ms Truss also pledged not to levy a new tax as host Nick Ferrari touted George HW Bush’s slogan, “Read my lips, no new taxes”, while Mr Sunak said he was proud of the adoption. favorable tax rates for energy companies.

Ms. Truss has ruled out that energy allocation is at stake in some European countries, but Mr. Sunak has not.

In this hall, Mr Sunak was ahead of Ms Truss in loud, enthusiastic support.

So did the pollsters, bookmakers and experts get it wrong? Sunak supporters claimed after the scandal ended that up to a third of Tory members live in London and the south east.

This audience is younger and more ethnically diverse than some audiences in the UK. Urban? Sure.

Read more: Who’s suggesting what to tackle soaring energy bills?

Nick Ferrari spoke extensively about the fact that the crowd was at Wembley, home of English football, and wondered if Mr Sunak, the underdog, would return in the 90th minute.

It would be very annoying if he did. But Mr Sunak put on a strong showing here, fighting for every vote until the last minute.

But unless there is a shocking result next Monday, his mental effort here – and the noisy support from many inside Wembley Arena – may be coming too late.