Liz Truss’ tax plan will kick millions into destitution, says Tory leadership rival Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak last night claimed millions of people risk being ‘kicked into destitution’ under Liz Truss as he delivered an excoriating attack of her economic policy.
In a brutal blue-on-blue blow, the ex-chancellor said his Tory leadership rival’s plans to cut tax to help families through the cost of living crisis would be worth ‘precisely zero’ to pensioners.
And he told Conservative Party hustings in Perth, Scotland, that her plans would be worth just ‘a quid a week’ to someone on the national living wage.
A Truss campaign source responded: ‘It’s clear that [Nicola] Sturgeon isn’t the only attention seeker in Scotland. It’s a shame that Sunak has had to stoop this low just to get a headline.’
Miss Truss has pledged to reverse the national insurance hike to help struggling families, but has not ruled out offering further support. But Mr Sunak said the right way to help people with higher energy bills is through direct support.
He told the hustings: ‘The tax cuts that Liz is proposing are worth about £1,700 to someone on her income. For someone working very hard on the national living wage, it’s worth about a quid a week.
Speaking at the Conservative Party leadership hustings in Perth, UK on Tuesday, Rishi Sunak claimed millions of people risk being ‘kicked into destitution’ under Liz Truss
A campaigner for Liz Truss criticised Mr Sunak for being an ‘attention seeker’ like Nicola Sturgeon. Pictured: Ms Truss speaking at the only Scottish Conservative leadership hustings on Tuesday
‘And for a pensioner not working, it’s worth precisely zero.
‘Now I think if that’s the policy that the Government adopted, millions of people are at the risk of being kicked into destitution. Mr Sunak’s attack came as Miss Truss defended comments in which she claimed British workers need ‘more graft’.
In a recording obtained by The Guardian, she suggested Britons lack the ‘skill and application’ of foreign arrivals. Her comments were recorded when she was Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Her campaign said Britain needs to ‘boost productivity, which leads to higher wages and a better quality of life’.
