Liz Truss's plans to cut taxes could leave the poorest people at “risk of real destitution”, Rishi Sunak warned tonight.
The Tory leadership hopeful told activists in Cheltenham her economic blueprint would mean “we are going to, as a Conservative Government, leave millions of incredibly vulnerable people at the risk of real destitution”.
The former Chancellor, who plans to reveal more of his rescue package after Ofgem publishes its latest price cap hike on August 26, said: “I think everyone will need some help because of the scale of what we are facing.”
He pledged “extra support” for “the most vulnerable in our society”, identifying “people on low incomes and pensioners”.
Explaining how the tax cuts could help someone on the Foreign Secretary's salary, he said: “So scrapping the health and social care levy, as she wants to do, is worth £1,700 to her on her salary.
“For someone working really hard on the national living wage, it’s worth just over a quid a week. And for someone who’s a pensioner, without any earnings, it’s worth zero.
“Now I want to provide direct support to those groups of people.”
Liz Truss has said she opposes “Gordon Brown-style economics” and warned that increasing taxes will “choke off economic growth” and send the country to “penury”.
When asked whether she was for or against “handouts”, by the Telegraph’s Camilla Tominey at the paper’s Tory hustings, Ms Truss said: “What I have always said is that my first preference is always to reduce taxes.
Ms Truss, who was a senior Cabinet Minister when the Government slapped North Sea fossil fuel giants with a windfall tax earlier this year, ruled out a fresh levy on oil and gas firms.
She insisted: “One thing I absolutely don’t support is a windfall tax.”
