LONDON: Britain's two prime ministerial candidates clashed fiercely over tax, China and character in their first head-to-head televised debate on Monday, as Rishi Sunak seeks to peg back the frontrunner Liz Truss.

According to a survey of ruling Conservative party members, Liz Truss, the existing interim Foreign Secretary in deposed UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsons cabinet, trounced her rival Rishi Sunak, the Indian-origin former Chancellor, the electoral college to determine the winner.

47 percent of those polled by Opinium thought Truss performed better than Sunak, while 38 percent thought the same of Sunak. According to Opinium, Sunak narrowly defeated Truss in a poll of regular voters who saw the discussion. Sunak received 39% of the votes, while Truss received 38%.

The discussion at Stoke-on-Trent, a town in England's west midlands, was heated and belligerent, with Sunak acting aggressively and frequently talking over his opponent.

Sunak was down 62% to 38% in a YouGov poll of Conservative members, who will begin voting next week and have until September 2nd to do so. He does not appear to have gained enough ground with this constituency to turn the tables on Truss.

Sunak's plan was clearly to attack. Several spectators interviewed after the debate said his continuous interruptions were "rude," and they seemed offended by such behaviour. It was definitely un-British strategy.

Sunak and Truss disagreed on tax cuts, with Sunak pledging them later and Truss promising them as soon as she becomes Prime Minister.

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