Liz Truss stepped up her war on workers, unions and the public sector tonight.
The Foreign Secretary vowed to axe “facility time”, which allows union officials paid hours off to carry out duties while at work.
Ms Truss also pledged to replace National Pay Boards with regional units, paving the way for lower wages in poorer areas.
And she revealed she would axe diversity and inclusion schemes in Whitehall.
Ms Truss spoke of her “strong support” for bloodsports but appeared to rule out scrapping the fox hunting ban.
She claimed she would tackle illegal immigration and raise defence spending to three per cent of GDP by 2030.
On her bid to form regional pay boards, her team claimed it would save £8.8billion a year.
It added: “This will make it easier to adjust officials’ pay, ensuring it reflects where they work and stops the crowding out of local businesses that cannot compete with public sector pay.”
TUC’s Frances O’Grady said “dedicated workers will be alarmed” at the latest Tory attack on their rights.
“They need a PM who will deal with the cost of living crisis by getting wages rising," she said.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner added: “She is promising a race to the bottom on public sector pay and rights.” Ms Truss got a boost when ex-
leadership contestant Penny Mordaunt backed her bid to reach No10.
Ballot papers for the 160,000 Tory members who will pick the next PM started arriving today.
