Raab calls for live debate between leadership rivals to ‘revitalise’ party
Former Brexit secretary says voters deserve to see exchange of ideas as he denies plan for Farage pact
DOMINIC RAAB has called for a live head-to-head debate between the Tory leadership candidates to help “revitalise” support for the Conservative Party.
The former Brexit secretary said the public “deserves to see us set out our stall” and suggested that the debate could be hosted by The Daily Telegraph.
This newspaper hosted a debate last week involving three leadership candidates – Mr Raab, Matt Hancock and James Cleverly – along with Liz Truss and Victoria Atkins.
Mr Raab said: “There are a number of other great candidates also standing to become leader of our party.
“I think it would be brilliant if we could all get together and debate our different visions for the future – something that could easily be hosted by The Telegraph.
“I think that the public deserves to hear us set out our stall and test each other’s ideas.
“That will help the public, and our colleagues in Parliament, truly understand our plans for the country and to judge which of us will be the best candidate to take the fight to Jeremy Corbyn.”
He added: “An early high-profile debate would not only strengthen the leadership contest, it would also allow us as a party to be very clear with the public about all that we have achieved in government, how we would revitalise public support for Conservative ideas and our vision for making Britain a stronger, fairer, more prosperous place to live.”
Televised debates have become commonplace since they were first broadcast during the 2010 general election and also took place during the EU referendum.
During ITV’S referendum debate, Boris Johnson was targeted by rivals from all sides of the political spectrum. Amber Rudd, at the time the energy secretary who was campaigning for Remain, controversially described him as the “life and soul of the party but not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening”.
It came as Mr Raab used an appearance on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One to pledge to keep no-deal on the table, saying that negotiations with the EU needed to be more “resolute” than before.
He also issued a categoric denial that he was considering an electoral pact with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party after appearing to equivocate during his interview.
Asked about the prospect of a pact, Mr Raab said that he has “no plans” and described it as a “hypothetical question”.
After the interview he clarified: “If I am elected as leader I would not do an electoral pact with Nigel Farage or the Brexit Party.” Mr Raab was also challenged about comments from 2011, when he said: “From the cradle to the grave, men are getting a raw deal. Feminists are now amongst the most obnoxious bigots.”
He stood by the position by saying it was “really important that in the debate on equality we have a consistency and not double standards and hypocrisy”.
He added: “I think that’s really important, something as important as equality. And just on the practical side of it, I’ve been supporting Maria Miller, the equality select committee chairman, this week, saying we should have more protections for new mums, and also saying paternity leave for dads should be a day-one right.”
Mr Raab said he wanted to reduce the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 15p over time.
He also said he would raise the national insurance threshold as well as reducing the basic rate of income tax by 1p “straightaway”.
When asked whether it would cost as much as £30 billion, he said that was not correct and the initial rise would cost about £15 billion.
He added: “We have got £26 billionworth of headroom within our deficit target.
“I have listened carefully to the Chancellor on Tuesday in the House of Commons.
“Because of the great work that Philip Hammond and previous chancellors have done, we have got, actually, what he called the ‘luxury of choice’ with what we do with that headroom, including cutting taxes for working families. That would be my priority.”
‘That will help the public to judge which of us will be the best candidate to take the fight to Jeremy Corbyn’