BLUE ON BLUE
What happened in the live TV debates? Tory leader candidates Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt went head to head
THE Tory leadership contest is rumbling on, with frontrunner Boris Johnson battling it out with Jeremy Hunt to become the next Prime Minister.
Members of the Conservative Party will now choose either the ex-Foreign Secretary or his successor to be the new Conservative leader - to be announced on July 23.
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When was the last TV debate at The Sun?
Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt faced off on July 15 in The Sun/talkRADIO debate, where they repeatedly backed each other on key issues - with Hunt promising Johnson a top job if he wins the battle for No10.
The love-in between the pair saw Johnson promise voters he would not call a disruptive General Election before Brexit.
Hunt tried to play up his Brexit credentials by saying he was not far apart from his rival when it came to delivering Brexit by the deadline of October 31.
He said: “Both of us want to leave by October 31. Both of us hope Parliament won’t block a No Deal Brexit.”
Hunt and Johnson clashed over immigration, with the Foreign Secretary pledging to reduce numbers while BoJo refused to do so.
But they both accused Jeremy Corbyn of being personally anti-Semitic and insisted England cricket star Ben Stokes should lead the way in a list of gongs for our World Cup heroes.
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When was the ITV debate?
ITV aired a head-to-head debate between the two candidates on July 9.
In the fiercely contested live debate the pair rowed over Brexit, the US President and abortion.
Johnson and Hunt both vowed they would keep hated Universal Credit if they became PM - but the underdog hinted he would cut the five-week wait for cash.
Both of them committed to keeping the flagship welfare policy in place if they made it into Downing Street in just two weeks time.
However, Mr Hunt admitted it had "teething problems" and said: "We need to deal with the five-week wait which has caused a lot of distress.
Both candidates said they intend to leave the UK by October 31.
Hunt says it will be "very serious" if a No Deal is necessary, and says he has a ten-point Brexit plan to avoid that outcome.
Johnson however wants to prepare for No Deal and claims we will have £39billion to spend on it.
When was the final hustings?
In the last of their hustings on June 17, Johnson refused to say when he would bring in a Queen's Speech as PM.
With critics accusing him of being ready to suspend Parliament in order to push through a no-deal Brexit, the frontrunner in the race avoided questioning on his plans.
In an eye-catching move, Mr Johnson kicked off the final Tory leadership hustings by brandishing a kipper on stage.
Addressing the crowd in East London, he whipped out the fish and said the plastic wrapping it was in was an example of EU rules increasing business costs.
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What issues are they campaigning on?
The chief issue — and one ultimately dominating the leadership campaign — is Brexit.
On July 1, Hunt vowed to trigger a No Deal Brexit on September 30 if the EU does not budge on talks.
Despite warning in 2018 that a “cliff edge” exit would be “a mistake we would regret for generations”, he infuriated unions by insisting he was now willing to cancel summer leave for 400,000 civil servants to prepare for one.
Hunt told The Sun: “We have to implement the referendum. And it’s the responsibility of a Prime Minister to do so in a way that minimises the impact and maximises opportunities.”
He is looking to appoint a No Deal Cabinet Task Force, with the Government working on the basis that the UK is leaving without a deal on October 31.
Hunt had previously called the date a "fake deadline" and said he would be prepared to extend it if a deal with the EU is in reach, but Johnson has made a "do or die" commitment to make sure Brexit is delivered by the end of October.
One of Johnson's most senior supporters, former leadership rival Dominic Raab, suggested he could legally ignore the will of Parliament to deliver his pledge to leave by October 31.
Former Brexit secretary Raab said a Commons motion passed by MPs opposed to a No Deal Brexit would have "zero legal effect".
Johnson has said about Brexit: "If we fail to come out on October 31st I believe we are courting mortal retribution from the electorate – a haemorrhage of trust from which we will not recover."
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What are the current odds for Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt becoming Prime Minister?
Johnson has long been the clear front-runner in the contest and easily made it to the final two.
Each round saw him win the votes of more than 100 Tory MPs.
The odds of Johnson winning the race are currently 1/25, while bookies have Hunt at 12/1 odds, according to Paddy Power.
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What’s happened in the Tory leadership race so far?
The leadership contest was sparked by the sudden resignation of Theresa May after she failed to get her Brexit deal through parliament.
Thirteen people put their names forward by three fell by the wayside before the first voting took place.
MP votes then whittled down the candidates until the final two emerged.
The campaign took a dramatic twist when neighbours of Boris and his girlfriend Carrie Symonds recorded the couple arguing in their flat in the early hours of Friday, June 21.
The recording was then leaked to the Guardian newspaper.
Johnson has refused to comment on the nature of the row.
The final Conservative vote takes place on July 22, when all 160,000 members of the Conservative Party will be able to vote.
The candidate who receives more than 50 per cent of the party vote will become next party leader and therefore Prime Minister.
The winner will be announced on July 23 before taking over from Theresa May on July 24.
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