International commentator of Yangcheng Evening News Qian Kejin
html On July 20, with the fifth round of voting among Conservative MPs, the competition for the British Prime Minister also entered the final stage: Rich Sunak and Liz Tras became the two players entering the "finals".The two will speak nationwide and have a television debate over the next six weeks. By early September, after the showdown between Sunak and Trass comes out, current Prime Minister Boris Johnson will resign to the Queen of England. Britain will welcome the first Indian Prime Minister Sunak or the third female Prime Minister Tras.
"elite" worries
Sunak, 42, is an Indian-born British man whose grandparents were born in Punjab, India and later moved to Kenya with their children. Sunak's parents later immigrated to the UK, so Sunak grew up in the UK.
Sunak is taking a typical elite path. He first studied at Oxford University, worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs Bank on Wall Street after graduation, and then studied at Stanford University Business School, and then invested in the hedge fund industry after graduation. He successfully ran for the British Representative in 2015 and quickly became a political star. In February 2020, he served as a high-ranking minister of the finance department.
During Sunak's tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the UK suffered from the impact of the new crown epidemic. He introduced some targeted policies, especially the help to the catering industry, which made him well received. The UK is currently facing serious problems such as inflation and rising prices. So Sunak's supporters believe that if he can become the next prime minister, he will certainly lead Britain to this challenge.
However, Sunak also has some "problems". At present, there are three main points:
1, the issue of family tax payment. Sunak's wife is the daughter of a rich man in India. In April this year, many British media reported that Mrs. Sunak had received up to £700 million worth of stocks from her father, and these stocks were paid as much as £11.6 million in dividends last year. Although the Sunak couple has three properties in the UK, Mrs. Sunak is "non-British tax resident". This identity does not require the income tax on overseas income to the UK, causing her to pay £2 million in tax. In addition, the Sunaks and his wife had previously had US green cards and did not give up until October last year.
A consulting body in the UK Parliament once issued a "warning" on the matter, but the final conclusion is that Mrs. Sunak's behavior is not illegal. But if Sunak wants to become British Prime Minister, the media will definitely bring up the matter again and pursue it relentlessly.
2, the issue of "disconnected from society". In an interview with the BBC in 2001, Sunak once said, "I have friends who are nobles, friends from the upper class, friends from working class, ah, no, I don't have friends from working class." This interview is an old story, but it has been dug up recently. Obviously, "no working friends" will be the issue Sunak wants to explain in the next stage of the election.
3, "party door" and loyalty issues. British police once issued tickets to Johnson's government officials involved in the "party gate", and Sunak also received the ticket. Moreover, some Johnson's hardcore supporters believe that Sunak had always supported Johnson, and it was not until the Conservative Party began to rebel within the Conservative Party in early July that he "resigned angrily" and gave the Johnson administration a heavy blow.
"stance" has caused controversy
Compared with Sunak, 46-year-old Tras entered politics a little earlier. She was elected as a member of parliament in 2010 and has held positions in the administrations of Cameron, Theresa May and Johnson. Especially since he started serving as Foreign Minister last September.
Tras encountered the major challenge of the Russian-Ukraine conflict during his tenure as Foreign Minister. Tras strictly enforced Johnson's tough policy towards Russia, which scored more points among the British people.
Tras has two "problems":
1, the position on the issue of Brexit. During the 2016 Brexit referendum, most Conservatives supported Brexit, while Tras was one of the few conservative officials who opposed Brexit. But after she joined the Johnson administration, she actively supported Brexit.
The UK has not yet resolved the Brexit issue and is still arguing with Europe.Whether Trass's position can be "firm" is definitely a question that the media should ask.
2, relationship with the Johnson administration. When the Conservative Party made Johnson's rebellion this time, Tras was very firm - supporting Johnson, and never resigned, and is still Johnson's foreign minister. With such a huge anti-Johnson voice in the Conservative Party, is Trass's doing this considered as being in the wrong team? Tras' explanation is that as a foreign minister, she cannot resign easily as a foreign minister. But many Conservative MPs may not think so.
Of course, some analysts believe that Trass's doing so may also be a "scoring point". Because although the lawmakers oppose Johnson, it does not mean that Conservative Party members oppose him, and Tras's "loyalty" is likely to win the favor of ordinary party members.
is the main point of disagreement between the UK "treatment"
Sunak and Trass (and an important issue that the next prime minister needs to solve), and lies in how to solve the economic difficulties faced by the UK.
Tras believes that solving the current problems of inflation and rising prices requires significant tax cuts to attract investment. This is the relatively standard conservative position. Sunak believes that tax cuts cannot be easily reduced, because tax cuts will definitely lead to a decrease in fiscal revenue and the government will have to borrow money, which is actually causing trouble for the next generation. He said Trass’s claim is a “fairy tale” that sounds beautiful but unrealistic.
The views of both sides have been supported by some people, and the two were very close to the votes in the last round of voting, so the competition will be very fierce next time.
This summer, Sunak and Tras must be very busy. As planned, the two will hold 12 campaign speeches and two TV debates nationwide in the next few weeks. Public opinion will not only study their policies, but also look at their personalities and issues beyond their policies. Who has the greatest chance of winning
? Judging from the current public opinion and previous polls, although Sunak has always been the first in the voting of lawmakers, Tras is more popular among Conservative Party members. If the "problems" facing Sunak continue to ferment in the next few weeks, then by September, the UK may welcome a third female prime minister.
Editor: Wu Jiahong
Source: Jinyang.com
