The former chancellor has admitted he is “playing taha” with the foreign secretary in the battle to become the next prime minister. This weekend he vowed to end “woke nonsense” and vowed to reduce the number of empty shops on Britain’s high streets, as well as a pledge to increase police powers to tackle anti-social behavior in public places. He said he would crack down on graffiti and littering by allowing local authorities to double fines for such offenses and consider lowering the damage threshold for jailed offenders. Mr Sunak told The Sunday Telegraph his plan to reform the NHS would include a temporary £10 fine for patients who fail to keep a GP or GP appointment. “If we have people not showing up and taking those slots away from people who need them, that’s not right,” he told the paper. “I’m all for a health care system that’s free at the point of use, but not free at the point of misuse.” He added: “Yes, it means we have to do something brave and something different, but that’s what I want to do. I want to be a transformational prime minister.” Meanwhile, Ms Truss played down claims she has a clear lead over Mr Sunak – despite her campaign being backed by party heavyweight Tom Tugendhat – insisting it was a “very, very close race”, while boasting for her “support from across all parts of the Conservative Party”. She has set herself up as “prime minister for education” with a plan that includes replacing failing academies with “a new wave of free schools”. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:48 Tugendhat backs Liz Truss The foreign secretary unveiled a six-point strategy on Saturday “to get Britain’s education system back on track” which includes expanding existing high-performing academies while replacing failing ones with free schools – start-up academies. Ms Truss said she had seen “first-hand how children fail and are let down by low expectations” during her comprehensive state education in Leeds. Image: Rishi Sunak was asked to sign a copy of Margaret Thatcher’s biography in Hampshire on Saturday The former education and childcare minister also pledged to improve maths standards and meet the “target for 90% of primary school children to reach expected standards in literacy and numeracy”. He said he would seek to give working parents access to child care during the school day and expand the range of providers that accept state child care entitlements. Ms Truss, who studied at Oxford, also promised to reform admissions procedures for Oxbridge and other top universities “so students who get top grades in their A-levels will automatically be invited to apply”. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will take part in a live debate on Sky News on Thursday 4 August at 8pm hosted by Kay Burley. If you would like to join the live studio audience and have the opportunity to ask a question, please apply here.