SO, who did you think won the BBC debate between the Tory leadership candidates?

If you could watch it, that is, with those nausea-inducing graphics moving behind them so it felt they were spinning in a fairground carousel, and with a pair of BBC experts in the wings passing judgement like the Muppets Statler and Waldorf on the balcony.

Richmond’s Rishi Sunak was desperately eager to seize the moment, but he shot out too aggressively, talking over and interrupting Liz Truss 22 times in the first 12 minutes. At times, he was even talking over himself, repeating the question about Ms Truss’ tax cuts causing interest rates to soar to seven per cent so many times that there was no space for her to answer.

Ms Truss also won marks for dangling a raft of tax-cutting baubles in front of the audience leaving Mr Sunak looking rather drab as he tried to make a virtue out of offering nothing new to tackle the cost of living crisis. He has sense on his side, but being boringly sensible is not going to be enough for him to win this contest.

He also appears more managerial and more competent than Ms Truss, but those virtues may be trumped by his perceived disloyalty. As a personality, Boris Johnson is still popular – particularly now his enforced departure has put an end to his shenanigans – but Mr Sunak is portrayed as eagerly bringing down the man who made him while Ms Truss remained on the ship, trying to steer it through choppy waters.

We may end up with the second-best Prime Minister because Mr Sunak was just too eager.