Rishi Sunak gives stronger answers on Northern Ireland Protocol than Liz Truss does

This was a view that some people held even when there were several candidates to take the helm in the Tory party.

The foreign secretary has been seen as an even more obvious pro Union candidate since the field was narrowed down to a contest between her and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

Mr Sunak was said in cabinet to have been concerned about the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, and to prefer a more consensual approach with the EU in order to solve problems with the Irish Sea border. He has no track record of showing an interest in the province, or its place in the UK.

But in today’s News Letter this easy assumption that Ms Truss will stand up for Northern Ireland against the disastrous internal barrier with Great Britain is shown to be a shaky one. Look at Mr Sunak’s answers on page 6 (in the print edition, see link below) to questions put to him by our political editor Henry McDonald. Then read Ms Truss, opposite (in the print edition, link below). Mr Sunak’s pledge to see through the protocol bill is slightly stronger than that of Ms Truss.

Her article is not short of generalities and platitudes, such as warm talk about the Game of Thrones.

Ms Truss’s observations about the damage done by the protocol are welcome yet, for all her description of the problems as urgent, she is vague about the response. After praising herself for trying to “find a solution with legislation to fix the problems” she promises to “go further to find an enduring solution” and “to see through our vital work”.

What does this mean, we wondered? Would she commit to undiluted passage of the Protocol Bill? But she declined to add such a commitment. Passage is within her control. The government has enough of a majority to over-ride the Lords.

NI Conservatives have the candidates before them today.

With the Union under multiple assault, local Tories should not waste the chance to sound out what this pair plan do about crises that threaten to pull apart a UK they hope to lead.

• Liz Truss declines to commit to passing Northern Ireland Protocol bill in full

• Liz Truss: Urgent problems with the NI Protocol cannot be allowed to drift

• Rishi Sunak: NI Protocol Bill will become law if EU doesn’t deliver