Next Prime Minister REFUSES to freeze energy bills as Sunak blasts Truss’ ‘moral failure’

Both candidates for Prime Minister tonight refused to freeze Brits’ energy bills as Liz Truss was accused of “moral failure” in a vicious blue-on-blue.

Rishi Sunak laid into his rival’s plans to cut tax and green levies off bills, saying “millions of people are at the risk of being tipped into destitution”.

In a devastating attack on the likely next PM at a hustings in Perth, Scotland, he said failing to top up the plan “would be a moral failure.

“I don’t think the British people would ever forgive us and as Prime Minister, I would not let that happen”.

But like Liz Truss, he refused to freeze the energy price cap at £1,971 a year through winter – proposed by Keir Starmer with a £29bn bailout for energy firms.

Ms Truss told Tory members “we can’t just have a six-month sticking plaster” while Mr Sunak categorically ruled it out. He said “I don’t think that’s the right approach” and “my plan is the right plan”.

Told by a Tory hustings host “if you don’t freeze the energy cap you’re going to freeze the poor”, he stuck by his plan to cut £200 of VAT from bills and top-up benefit claimants’ and pensioners’ payments by “a few hundred” pounds.

Yet again Liz Truss refused to say what support – other than pausing £150 a year of green levies on bills and cutting tax – she would offer people to limit the impact of energy bill rises.

“What I’m not going to do here is write the next chancellor’s budget when we are still in the middle of this leadership election,” she said.

Her rival said focusing on a National Insurance cut would give minimum-wage workers “about a quid a week” and pensioners “precisely zero”.

A large crowd of noisy protesters gathered outside the Perth hustings shouting “Tories out”. Saltire flags and a “TORY SCUM OUT” banner bedecked security railings that a handful of protesters were filmed pushing past.

Tory MP and attendee Andrew Bowie claimed there were “eggs being thrown” and “spitting at pensioners”. He tweeted: “Good to see Nicola Sturgeon’s civic and joyous nationalism in action.”

SNP MP David Linden replied: “These morons don’t speak for me or my party. We condemn their behaviour utterly and without equivocation.”

Ms Truss – widely tipped to win the race – was at one point told by a Tory member: “Good evening, Madam Prime Minister.” She grinned, held up her hands and said: “Please don’t get ahead of yourself, don’t let me get ahead of myself.”

She said No10 under her would not be “Presidential”, promising to appoint “competent people” – including Rishi Sunak in a brief break from blue-on-blue.

She said: “I will want to appoint a Cabinet of all the best talents right across the Conservative Party, including Rishi Sunak, if I am successful.”

Liz Truss ruled out allowing a second Scottish independence referendum while Rishi Sunak dodged the question.

Ms Truss said she would “ignore” calls for a new vote adding: “If I am elected as Prime Minister I will not allow another independence referendum”.

But Mr Sunak said: “I can’t imagine the circumstances in which I would”. He added: “We live in a union which is of course there by consent and by democracy and I accept that. But I just don’t think anybody thinks now or anytime in the near future is remotely the time to focus on this.”

There was a bizarre moment when Liz Truss was confronted with her own comments when she worked in the Treasury – leaked tonight – that Brits needed “more graft”.

Despite her campaign team commenting on the remarks hours earlier, she claimed: “I don’t know what you’re quoting there.

“But the point I’ve always made is what we need in this country is more productivity across the country and we need more economic growth.”

Ms Truss guaranteed she will raise pensions by around 9-10% in April, returning to the broken Tory manifesto pledge. She told the Perth hustings: “I won’t fudge the figures, I’m fully committed to the triple lock, which gives the highest rate.”

The triple lock raises pensions by 2.5%, earnings or September’s inflation figure, whichever is highest. September inflation is expected to nudge 10%.

But she raised a question mark over when she would return to spending 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid, another manifesto pledge.

The government previously said it would return to 0.7% in 2024 or later. But Ms Truss said: “At present it is not economically affordable. I will see what the position is and when we are able to afford it we will do it and we’re committed to that under legislation.”

Ms Truss said Boris Johnson was “entitled” to go on holiday during the cost of living crisis and said: “I don’t agree that Boris Johnson misled Parliament. Boris did a great job as Prime Minister.”

Ms Truss, who lived in Paisley, said she had a “very Scottish accent” as a child but refused to imitate it, joking: “I want these people to vote for me.”

Meanwhile Rishi Sunak was confronted by a Tory member who told him: “Will you rethink your plan to send the wretched illegal immigrants to Rwanda?

“It is inhuman, inhumane and instead will you negotiate with the French to tackle the problem where it really begins and that’s with illegal traffickers.”

Mr Sunak replied: “With the greatest respect, I’m going to have to say I disagree with you.”

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