Assuming you do, let's examine what lies ahead. We can afford to take a slightly irreverent look at this looming Tory head-to-head, unless you're a socialist expat who fled the UK when it became clear that a hard left government wasn't happening. I know quite a few who did just that.

Anyway, back in Toryville. We're now in a scenario where the eventual Conservative leader won't be able to distance him or herself from the various Tory debacles which blighted them over the past few years. Whilst a Penny Mordaunt or Tom Tugendhat premiership may have got away with proclamations that they weren't simply spearheading a continuity administration; neither Sunak or Truss can ever peer into a TV camera and declare they had no hand in recent shenanigans.

Supporting either a Sunak or a Truss premiership equates to being equally sticky wickets for the Conservative membership. Most grassroots Tories hankered for a new, squeaky clean candidate but that dream has already vanished. A fresh start is something neither Sunak or Truss can deliver. Instead, the Tory membership must choose between a technocratic Sunak who presided over some decidedly un-Tory-like tax hikes or a rather uncharismatic Liz Truss who increasingly looks like a Boris in Thatcher's clothing. This much-hailed Boris continuity stamp could prove quite awkward for Camp Truss because she remained loyal to Boris by not resigning.

Despite temptations to draw parallels with Tory peers past and present, political pundits must realise that individual politicians are just that - individuals. Let's be entirely candid, Liz Truss will never be the next Boris nor will she cut it as some kind of latter-day Iron Lady. Truss doesn't possess Thatcherite grit or Johnsonian tomfoolery.

Sunak, on the other hand, isn't attempting to be anyone other than himself. Basically, if the members vote Rishi, they get Rishi. Simple. Nothing changes. The jam tomorrow Chancellor will return as the jam tomorrow Pee-Emm. Depressing!

So, I wonder how the two candidates appear in the eyes of those socialist expats I mentioned earlier? The ones who jumped ship because they couldn't stomach the thought of living in Boris' Brexit Britain.

I present dishy Rishi; the ex-chancellor who is so well endowed from the wallet-down that he invites every lefty conspiracy theorist to cast aspersions about his political motives. They'll be quick to comment on how disingenuous he is if he shows empathy towards those less fortunate than himself. That's pretty much everyone except Jeff Bezos then?

Then we have Liz Truss; the Foreign Secretary who just loves to blow her own trumpet. She does it with that typical wind instrumentalist's po-face and delivers self praise with unmatched lackluster. Admittedly, she does win absolutely hands down when it comes to: "Who can be the most dull Tory Pee-Emm since John (pass the peas) Major." Well, Liz is giving it her all.

It's actually quite depressing these days because political parties seem to have lost their ability to actually represent the people who vote for them. Sir Keir Starmer is hardly the epitome of a working class hero and a stalwart of social justice is he? This dislocation from a traditional base is equally evident with today's Conservative party. How likely will white, elderly, Tory (70% male) members vote for a tax hiking Sunak?

Truss thinks she can unshackle Britain from its heavy economic chains with the promise of a £30bn dose of juicy tax cuts. Truss seems to favour granting us all at least a whiff of jam by moving away from orthodox Tory aversions towards government borrowing. Whilst examining the nitty gritty and adhering to the notion that chancellors give with one hand and take away with the other, Trussite tax reductions risk looking puny, especially for those concerned about unsustainable energy price hikes or unaffordable childcare costs. Britain already enjoys low corporation, income and capital gains taxes. I just can't fathom how further token cuts will transform living standards.

I also shudder when Sunak appears to be rehashing Osborn's austerity and fiscal prudence measures. That's all well and good when it comes to spreadsheets but right now there's an ongoing cost of living crisis. In the world of Truss vs Sunak, there's no visible economic sweet spot.

Redistributing unjustified and largely undeserved profits would surely endear any chancellor to voters? Taxing money that energy companies have 'robbed' by direct debit from peoples accounts to upgrade infrastructure and ease the burden on family budgets makes sense both electorally and ethically?

In times such as these, I see no urgency to cut the deficit. That will only happen organically, without intervention, when times get less tough and consumer confidence returns. That is, when ordinary people (the 99%) choose to spend any disposable income they might have.

This Conservative leadership contest is a fairly simple left vs right clash. It's between a high-tax fiscal conservative and a tax-cutting former Liberal. Liz Truss is favourite to win the second round because Tory grassroots are never keen on tax hikes. But a month is enough time for Sunak to flip this pancake right over.

Truss, by her own admission, is not a natural campaigner. Her brand of zombie Thatcherism won't woo 'red wall' voters. The Party will ultimately decide who becomes the next Pee-Emm. Right now, I fail to see how Truss can lose this contest without performing a major gaffe.

Truss has been described as an ideologue without ideas. Her policy proposals seem scatty and implausible whilst Sunak just offers old hat austerity served up as wholesome fiscal responsibility. Labour are already sensing a golden opportunity. They see a Truss or Sunak premiership as the final nail in the coffin of Tory hopes in the next general election.

If Truss does prove the polls correct, she will become the next UK Pee-Emm. The campaign has shown us a strangely vain yet shy looking character who often looks like a rabbit in the headlights. She's a Tory cliché that comes without a smidgen of charisma. She openly mimics Mrs Thatcher which is butt-clenchingly cringeworthy.

Truss vs Sunak is now with Tory party members with an average age of 58. These people predominantly reside in southern England, yet the leadership of the entire UK lies in their hands. Such a grossly unrepresentative demographic seems chronically unfair but it's surely grist to the SNP mill north of the border?

Sunak's performance at the Treasury, despite Boris' constant own goals, suggests he possesses political acumen and sound judgment. He is probably more likely to act with due caution and competence. He has the support of the majority of his cabinet colleagues and MP's. He seems to be a safe pair of hands but the perversions of UK politics means that my money is flatly on Truss's nose. Fancy a punt?

Author

Douglas Hughes is a UK-based writer producing general interest articles ranging from travel pieces to classic motoring. 

Douglas Hughes