Rishi Sunak’s supporters have dismissed claims he “mansplained” to Liz Truss during last night’s fiery leadership debate.
Tory MP David Davis, who is backing Sunak, described the criticism as “spin” and suggested such exchanges were similar to what goes on in the Commons.
However, Truss supporters were also on the airwaves on Tuesday morning claiming Sunak’s performance was “extremely aggressive”.
Asked about claims that Sunak had been aggressively “mansplaining” and using “shouty behaviour”, Davis suggested the tone was no different to when he clashed with David Cameron during the 2005 leadership race.
He told Sky News: “We differ on that. Look, as I said, when I had exchanges with Cameron, I was just as forensic and difficult with him as Rishi was last night.”
The former Brexit secretary added: “Sometimes it’s important to intervene in debates. When we’re in the Commons we have these comparatively fierce exchanges lots of times, all the time.”
However, chief secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke accused Sunak of being “extremely aggressive” during the debate.
Clarke, who is backing Truss, told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “He was certainly extremely aggressive in the early moments of the debate.
“Ultimately, everyone has to account for their own performance in these debates and make their points passionately. There are important issues at stake here. But I can see why it got some people’s backs up.”
Asked if he had found Sunak strident in meetings when the two worked together, Clarke replied: “No, he wasn’t. And it’s important to emphasise that I’ve always found Rishi very reasonable to work with.
“But it was a pretty intense approach to the early moments of the debate last night and I’m not really sure that it worked.”
During the BBC debate a spokesman for Truss told The Times that Sunak was not fit for office, adding: “His aggressive mansplaining and shouty private school behaviour is desperate, unbecoming and is a gift to Labour.”
Truss supporters also claimed that Sunak interrupted her 22 times in first 12 minutes.
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