The next Tory leader debate’s been cancelled after Sunak and Truss pulled out – 23 favourite responses
The third televised Tory leadership debate has been cancelled by Sky News after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss both pulled out.
The decision followed Sunday night’s car crash of a debate on ITV which led many Conservatives to conclude that it was probably best that the wannabe PMs throw their dirty laundry at each other in private.
BREAKING: The Sky News Conservative leadership debate has been cancelled after Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss confirmed that they do not want to take part.https://t.co/JCo3cbfNbS
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/zx6OvZ7exS
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 18, 2022
It prompted no end of funny, furious and totally on-point responses.
We’ve read them all – well, quite a lot of them – so you don’t have to and these are our 23 favourites.
1.
I'm not saying the Conservative leadership contest is going badly, but they just cancelled tonight's televised debate because they want to stop any more members of the public from seeing it happening.
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) July 18, 2022
2.
Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, Selflessness and Leadership.
The Seven Principles of Public Life. https://t.co/sFk6UNygPR
— Feargal Sharkey (@Feargal_Sharkey) July 18, 2022
3..
Love how the tory candidates are simultaneously the best that they can produce and so shit they can no longer be televised
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) July 18, 2022
4.
I'm sick of right wing comedians being cancelled like this https://t.co/wE8jmuBoW7
— Jon Stone (@joncstone) July 18, 2022
5.
Obv I'm not the target audience, but if someone can't withstand a grilling from Kay Burley and their colleagues then they're probably not ready to be PM. https://t.co/hj7CWPWkf5
— Andrew Smith (@andrew_graeme) July 18, 2022
6.
-A PM running away from Cobra
-A Home Sec running away from scrutiny
-A Justice Sec running away from scrutiny
-And now candidates running away from tv debatesThis is going very, very badly
— Paul Johnson (@paul__johnson) July 18, 2022
7.
There is concern that leadership debates are damaging the image of the Conservative Party, by making it clear that the best candidates they can come up with are morally bankrupt, incoherent, lying fuckwits.
— Parody Boris (@Parody_PM) July 18, 2022
8.
Aww come on. You can't just cancel the season finale. I was gagging for that bit at the end when the victor pulls the still beating hearts from the chest of their rivals while screaming 'QUANTITATIVE EASING IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL, BUT I'M NOT GOING INTO DETAIL ON FISCAL POLICY.' https://t.co/RfbL5y1h6h
— Jay Rayner (@jayrayner1) July 18, 2022
9.
https://twitter.com/Tim_Burgess/status/1548978824888590336?s=20&t=jNXBVDvUyqWdWr4onXvFJw
10.
Their electorate now consists almost entirely of people who believe only what they want to believe, regardless of evidence. Right now, most obviously, that Brexit was a good idea & climate change is no big deal. So this is a simultaneously horrifying & perfectly logical decision. https://t.co/CzYClbznrd
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) July 18, 2022
11.
Pah. Boris Johnson never pulled out in his life. https://t.co/gDuNn2oV48
— Ian Hyland (@HylandIan) July 18, 2022
12.
Tory HQ was reportedly instrumental at pulling the plug on the remaining leadership debate.
Initially, the thinking had been that the country should get to know the candidates. Later, the worry became that the country would get to know the candidates
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) July 18, 2022
