Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss: Your guide to the BBC Tory leadership debate

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are going head-to-head as the BBC hosts a televised debate in the race to be the next prime minister.

It is the first time the two candidates have faced each other one-on-one as they make their bid to be Conservative Party leader - and the next occupant of No 10. Here's what you need to know.

What time is the debate?

Titled Our Next Prime Minister, the debate is being broadcast live from Stoke-on-Trent from 21:00 BST on BBC One and BBC Radio 5 Live. Sophie Raworth is the presenter.

BBC political editor Chris Mason and economics editor Faisal Islam are offering their analysis on the programme, as well as some follow-up questions for the candidates. You can follow live coverage of the debate here.

Who's in the audience?

With the next prime minister being selected by Conservative Party members - a tiny slice of the electorate - the studio audience is made up of people who voted for the Tories in the previous general election, to see how the candidates come across to the party's supporters.

A venue in Stoke-on-Trent Central was chosen because it was one of the constituencies won by the Conservatives for the first time in 2019.

Retaining voters' support in places such as this will be a key test for Boris Johnson's successor.

Multiple polls suggest Liz Truss has a strong lead among Conservative Party members. But Rishi Sunak's team argue the impression the candidates make on the wider electorate will still be crucial, because it will give clues as to who is more likely to win the next general election.

What are the battleground issues?

Much of the debate between the former cabinet colleagues so far has centred on the economy and tax, with Ms Truss saying she would cancel planned rises in National Insurance and corporation tax.

Mr Sunak says he will cut taxes only after inflation is under control and has criticised Ms Truss's plans for cuts amid what he called the public services emergency in the NHS.

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Both candidates have been promising tougher policies on migration and refugees as they compete for Tory members' votes. Mr Sunak has said he would introduce a cap on refugee numbers while Ms Truss has said she would increase the numbers of asylum seekers being sent to Rwanda.

Ms Truss and Mr Sunak are also battling over who is perceived among Tories to be the continuity candidate who can build on Boris Johnson's Brexit-driven 2019 victory.

The foreign secretary's supporters point out she remained loyal to Mr Johnson while Mr Sunak quit. But the former chancellor's camp have highlighted he voted for Brexit, while Ms Truss campaigned to remain in the EU - a position she has since renounced.

When is the vote?

After the debate and another head-to-head on Sky News on 4 August, the two leadership candidates will travel around the UK to try to persuade party members to vote for them at a series of 12 hustings.

Eligible Conservative Party members - who must have joined before 3 June - should receive their ballot papers from the beginning of August, and the deadline for voting is 17:00 BST on Friday 2 September.

When will the next prime minister be announced?

The winner of the ballot for leader of the Conservative Party will be announced on Monday 5 September. As leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons, that person will also be the new prime minister.

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