Labour now has a huge secret advantage over the Conservatives

Parliament rises on Thursday for summer recess but the Conservative Party will not get a break, writes Marie Le Conte

The Labour Party, on the other hand, can get the sunglasses and flip-flops out early (PA)

Many things became apparent in last night’s TV debate between the Conservative leadership hopefuls. There is no love lost between any of them; there are no obvious and immediate solutions to the cost of living crisis; the lighting in the ITV studio was considerably more flattering than Channel 4’s. Oh, and the candidates looked knackered.

Gone was the charm Tom Tugendhat had unleashed on Friday. Gone were Kemi Badenoch’s colourful anecdotes. Penny Mordaunt’s hair looked glossy but her heart didn’t seem to quite be in it. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss seemed a bit more alive, perhaps because they kept failing to hide the contempt they hold each other in. Whatever works, right?

More seriously, this will be an issue for them. Parliament rises on Thursday for summer recess but the Conservative Party will not get a break. MPs will pick their top two in the next few days, then the pair will begin touring the country to try and convince party members to vote for them.