Mr Wallace described Ms Truss as “genuine, honest and experienced” and with “integrity” for the top job. The Defense Secretary, who had been widely tipped to become the next leader of the Conservative Party before ruling himself out of the contest, told Sky News that Ms Truss had also been “very consistent” in her support for defense and security . “I thought what I was going to do at the start of this competition was to sit back,” Mr Wallace said. Tories accuse Sunak of ‘backstabbing Johnson’ as Truss takes awkward question on monarchy – final contest “I am the Secretary of Defense, I want to find a candidate who will get the department right and recognize that the threats we face every day are very real and growing and they need to be properly funded. “We can’t pretend they’re going to go away on their own. “So, I’ve watched their shows, I’ve watched them in the hoogies, but I know them both. “I have been in cabinet for two years with both the chancellor and Liz Truss. And so, you know, it was important for me to figure out who I thought was the right person to lead us forward. “Well, you know, I know Liz. She is very straightforward, she is genuine, what you see is what you get. “But he’s also been very consistent in supporting defense and security, he reads the same intelligence reports. I do, too. So I felt he was the right person to support.” Subscribe to the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker Mr Wallace added that “what you see is what you get” with the foreign secretary, something he believes the public want more than ever at the moment. And he continued: “And, another thing, it’s very important, he has really incredible experience in government. “She’s the only candidate who did almost two years in the Treasury as secretary-general of the Treasury. That’s the number two position. She attends the cabinet. It’s incredibly important. The country’s accountant, she did that job at the Treasury. “Then he was international trade and negotiating trade deals and now he is the foreign minister. “That’s a wide experience I’m afraid Rishi doesn’t have. Yes, he’s been in the chancellery, but he doesn’t have that much experience.” He added that the foreign minister, if elected as the next prime minister, would not break the fiscal rules on borrowing. Read more: Boris Johnson ‘put off in a coup’, Nadine Dorries claimsWhat happens now only Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are in the contest? Mr Wallace also hit out at Ms Truss’s fellow leadership candidate Rishi Sunak and some of his supporters for quitting Boris Johnson’s cabinet earlier this month. He said “triggering the withdrawal of cabinet ministers at a time of crisis” was not the right thing to do, adding that there were alternatives such as a vote of confidence through the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs. “What if the markets had crashed? What if the Home Secretary had done it and there was a terrorist attack?” asked. Wallace also admitted that he wanted Johnson to remain Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party. During a wide-ranging hustings event last night, Mr Sunak said he would support the return of grammar schools, while Ms Truss promised to revive the Northern Powerhouse Rail After four televised debates with audiences largely made up of swing voters, the leadership candidates finally faced off with members of the Tory party who will choose Britain’s next prime minister. The two-hour event in Leeds was the first of 12 to be held across the country before voting closes on September 2. The next Conservative Party leader and prime minister is expected to be announced on September 5, with Mr Johnson remaining in place until then. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will take part in a live debate on Sky News on Thursday 4 August at 8pm hosted by Kay Burley. If you would like to join the live studio audience and have the opportunity to ask a question, please apply here.
