Standards in public life
Boris Johnson was removed from office when his MPs could no longer defend or explain the repeated untruths coming from No 10. He had flouted Covid regulations, allowed an alleged sex harasser to be appointed to the whip’s office and seen two ethics counselors resign in disgust. But cleaning up politics barely came up in the debate – and indeed, Sunak and Truss felt the need to defend Johnson, with Sunak saying at his launch event that the outgoing prime minister has a “good heart”. There were some signs of change – Truss said at Thursday’s rally that she would move the Tory whip’s office back to No 12 Downing Street to allow closer monitoring of MPs’ behavior and Sunak said he would appoint new ethics consultant. But neither has fully addressed the need to rebuild public trust in post-Johnson politics.
The NHS
Before Tuesday’s TalkTV debate was brought to an abrupt halt by the presenter fainting, the candidates were challenged by John, a cancer patient, who asked: “Why is the NHS broken?” It was one of the few moments of the campaign so far that the dire state of health services was mentioned. Truss said she wanted to see layers of NHS management removed and Sunak pointed to the importance of new technologies. But neither had a solution to the immediate, pressing crisis, with more than 6.6 million people waiting for care. Truss even admitted that her local hospital was in such bad shape that it was being held up on “stilts”, but had little to say about how it could be fixed.
Social care
The problems of the NHS are closely linked to the crumbling state of the social care system, which barely featured in the leadership campaign. Truss said she would go ahead with Johnson’s plans for an £86,000 cap on how much people would have to pay for their own care, despite scrapping a tax rise meant to pay for it. Sunak probably would too, given that legislation has already been passed to do so. But neither had much to say about how they would make sure the system delivers better quality care. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST
Brexit realism
Brexit was mentioned in the race, with the candidates promising to cut EU red tape – and Sunak bashing Truss for campaigning to remain. Mr Truss said he would push ahead with the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol bill, risking a trade war. Sunak suggested at Thursday’s consultation that the legislation would create “free trade” without the need for borders – echoing Johnson’s greed when he told Northern Ireland businesses they would have to “commit” to any forms they were asked to sign. But there was no realistic discussion of the queues in Dover as families wait for their passports to be stamped, the fall in trade with the EU or a host of other practical challenges.
Covid
The pandemic was invoked as an afterthought during the campaign: Sunak bragged about his role in averting a Christmas lockdown in December 2021, while Truss questioned whether schools should ever have been closed. There has been little discussion about managing current and future waves of Covid. While it has escaped the headlines, the virus has continued to cause mass absenteeism and consume valuable NHS resources, despite the fact that Omicron and its sub-variants are less dangerous than its predecessors. With a boost program coming in the fall and the ever-present threat of more deadly variants, the new prime minister may have to make vital decisions to tackle the virus.
