Rishi Sunak rushed over to Kate McCann and held her hand after debate host fainted during live broadcast

RISHI Sunak rushed over to Kate McCann and held her hand after the TalkTV host fainted during last night's Tory leadership debate.

He and Liz Truss were making their pitch for PM to Sun readers and the nation in a prime time showdown until the debate was cut short at 6.31pm.

Eyewitnesses told The Sun how Mr Sunak raced to Kate’s side.

Ms Truss also went to check on the presenter and both candidates were seen kneeling down checking she was ok.

The candidates continued fielding questions from Sun readers after the show went off air.

A News UK spokeswoman said: "Kate McCann fainted on air last night and although she is fine, the medical advice was that we shouldn't continue with the debate. We apologise to our viewers and listeners."

During a fiery 30-minute debate before the incident, Foreign Secretary Ms Truss had promised to "relieve the burden on Sun readers" with a tax cuts bonanza.

But Mr Sunak hit back by branding her plans "morally wrong".

The ex-Chancellor accused Truss of cooking up fantasy promises - and said his priority was to bring down inflation.

He blasted: "I think Sun readers are sensible enough and have enough common sense to know that you don't get something for nothing."

In key developments:

• Sun readers grilled both candidates on their plans to become the next PM
• Rishi hit out at Liz's tax cuts - saying it was a "false economy" that raising taxes would bring more money in
• Liz vowed to slash red tape for farmers to make food cheaper for everyday Brits as Sun reader Gemma told her she was having to ration pricy meat
• Both candidates proudly played up their links to the NHS - with Rishi revealing his grandad has sadly been sick in hospital
• The wannabe-PMs clashed again on the economy and how to tackle spiralling inflation as they trashed the Government's record
• In a Sun poll readers said Ms Truss was the strongest performer of the night by 54 to 46 per cent, falling in for Mr Sunak.

Tensions flared once again in the heated race for No10 as the candidates prepare to clash in key battlegrounds.

Ms Truss flew out of the blocks to champion her key promise of lower taxes - and hurled a broadside at the former Chancellor for hiking taxes during his three years in the Treasury.

She said: "It's wrong, that we currently have the highest tax burden in this country that we've had for 70 years.

";And I believe that Sun readers want us to keep to our manifesto commitment of not raising taxes."

Mr Sunak hit back that her tax-cutting spree would only fuel inflation further, and said it was "immoral" to saddle our kids with future debt.

He said: "It's important what we leave our kids and our grandkids, and I think it is important to think about that inheritance, and I don't want to pass them a bill."

As the debate got fiery, Ms Truss shot back: "That's not true!"

Sun readers crying out for solutions to the cost of living nightmare are putting them on the spot over their plans to ease the pain.

They are also grilling them on a range of subjects at the heart of their plans for Downing Street.

Ms Truss went into last night's debate as the favourite after wooing Tory members with a true-blue agenda for bumper tax cuts.

The bookies give the Foreign Secretary an almost 80 per cent chance of storming the race and becoming Britain's 56th PM, leaving Mr Sunak playing catch up on just over 20 per cent.

BET BOOST: GET LIZ TRUSS AT 25/1 OR RISHI SUNAK AT 40/1 WITH WILLIAM HILL

The former Chancellor is offering tax cuts only when inflation is wrestled under control and accuses his rival of peddling "fairytale" economics.

He insists Ms Truss' tax-cutting spree would only surge prices higher and "tip millions into misery".

Ahead of the debate last night the Foreign Sec savaged Mr Sunak's plan as a "disaster" for Brits.

Accusing him of setting the UK on course for economic gloom, she blasted: "A recession would be a disaster, it would be a disaster for people who are homeowners.

"It would be a disaster for people who go out to work. It would be a disaster for people who run businesses."

The battle for the soul of the Tory party was laid bare last night when the pair crossed swords.

Ms Truss accused Mr Sunak of waging "Project Fear'' and "scaremongering" by rubbishing her blueprint to turbocharge the economy. 

In a brutal swipe Mr Sunak shot back: "I remember the referendum campaign and there was only one of us who was on the side of Remainer Project Fear - and it was you not me."

Both are vying for the votes of around 160,000 Tory party members who will decide who replaces Boris Johnson as PM.

Ballots go out to activists next week and the winner will be announced on September 5 to start in No10 the next day.

Ahead of the Sun debate yesterday allies of both candidates toured TV studios making the case.

Team Truss accused Mr Sunak of "mansplaining" after interrupted her multiple times last night.

But Cabinet minister Robert Buckland, who is supporting Mr Sunak, played it down as "robust debate".

He said: "There's this balance to be struck between having a vigorous debate and being sort of almost too polite to each other.

"I think it's inevitable that you're going to have candidates disagreeing, and frankly, we need to hear what the arguments are.

"We shouldn't shy away from robust debate, which is what we're getting. I think it's refreshing and good."

Meanwhile Ben Wallace, who has refused to endorse any candidate so far, today said he would back whoever spent most on defence.

He told The Sun: “I will be supporting the person who I believe can be trusted to invest in defence and make us safer from the threats that I think have grown in the last 12 months.”

Ms Truss has vowed to increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030.

Mr Sunak rejected “arbitrary targets” but pledged to do what is needed to keep the country safe.