Rishi Sunak this evening failed to name a public service that was working well, 12 years after the Tories came to power.
The former chancellor, whose resignation helped spark the crisis that bought Boris Johnson down, struggled to give an example of a state service that was working well, instead floundering: "Well, the furlough system did ok."
It comes as he and Liz Truss face off at a hustings event for the party faithful in Norwich.
He told Julia Hartley-Brewer that Ms Truss would make a better PM than Boris Johnson - but his rival gave the opposite answer, backing the outgoing Prime Minister, who is leaving after a string of scandals.
Mr Sunak, who appears destined to miss out in his dream of becoming Prime Minister, again went on the attack about his approach to the cost of living crisis.
He also seemed to suggest that serious crime was happening because of a creeping "woke" culture within police forces - while Ms Truss claimed too much time was being spent "policing Twitter".
Asked how he could claim to be providing enough during the unfolding crisis, Mr Sunak said: "I haven't put a precise amount on it, because we don't know what the numbers are.
"We're all grown up, we know there's no Prime Minister who can make all that go away, that's not credible."
But he said he favours targeting support on those who need it most, and vowed to "go further" if he becomes Prime Minister, saying there is a risk people will "fall into destitution".
Ms Truss said her approach would focus on solving issues with energy supply, stating: "If people think this problem is going to be over in six months they are not right. This is a long term problem."
She faces pressure, however, to explain how she intends to help people facing huge bills in the coming weeks and months.
Mr Sunak also appeared to suggest that police forces were not upholding the law because of "woke-ish" ideologies, holding up stop-and-search - which has historically seen people from ethnic minority groups disproportionately affected - as an example.
"I will never let political correctness get in the way of protecting you and your family, that's the type of Prime Minister I'll be," he said.
Mr Sunak said his rival in the race for Downing Street would make a better Prime Minister than Boris Johnson.
Asked who would be the better option at the event, hosted by TalkTV, he said: "Liz Truss. We have to look forward."
Mr Sunak quipped that he would rather "take the stairs" than be stuck in a lift with Keir Starmer or Nicola Sturgeon.
Asked the same question, Ms Truss said he would choose Ms Sturgeon, in the hope she could change her mind, adding: "The idea of being stuck in a lift with Keir Starmer strikes me as extremely boring."
Tonight's hustings event, which sees the two contenders questioned by Tory party members - who select the next PM despite representing just 0.3% of the UK population - is the penultimate of 12.
The campaign has seen both candidates sling mud at each other for weeks, trashing the other's economic plans as the cost of living crisis plunges households into crisis.
Today the heads of 17 mental health charities called on Boris Johnson and his successor to urgently put additional support in place to save lives as the catastrophe deepens.
Last month alone The Samaritans received 12,000 calls relating to finance or unemployment concerns, while Mind's infoline has seen a 30% rise in people worried about money compared to a year ago.
Worry about money is now the top concern among young people for the first time ever, charity YoungMinds has found.
Floundering Mr Sunak earlier said "of course I would" vote for Ms Truss's budget plans if she beats him to No10 - despite previously calling them "dangerous" and a "moral failure".
The former Chancellor, who looks increasingly like to miss out despite being the most popular candidate among MPs, has been accused by Ms Truss's allies of tearing the party apart by launching "petulant attacks".
He has been scathing about her tax cut proposals, saying they could drive millions into destitution because they do not provide targeted support for those most in need.
He previously refused to say whether he would back her economic measures, sparking speculation he could rebel against a Truss government.
But today he clarified that Mr Sunak will put these qualms aside in the interests of the party, telling BBC Radio 4's World at One: "All this conversation is based on the assumption that I'm going to lose.
"But of course I'm going to support a Conservative government, and I will always support a Conservative government."
He continued: "I want to make sure we beat Labour at the next election, I think that goes without saying."
