2 UK leadership contenders spar over tax in TV debate

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The two candidates vying to be Britain’s next prime minister have sparred over how to help families struggling with the soaring cost of living in a testy televised debate. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak are battling to succeed Boris Johnson as head of Britain’s governing party. The debate showcased their contrasting economic views, with Truss promising to cut taxes as soon as she took office and Sunak saying he would get inflation under control first. The pair are battling to succeed Johnson, who quit as party leader July 7 after months of ethics scandals triggered a mass exodus of ministers from his government. Oddsmakers say Truss is the favorite to win in the vote by about 180,000 Conservative Party members.