Michael Gove has refused to say whether he would vote with the government on the borrowing-fuelled tax cuts – attacking them as “not conservative”.
When repeatedly asked whether he would vote with Labour, the former cabinet minister said: “I don’t believe it (tax cut plan) is right.”
He told the Chopper’s Politics podcast that chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s package of unfunded tax cuts was “worrying”.
Speaking at a podcast live recording at the Conservative conference in Birmingham, he said: “My worry is that we are betting too much on tax cuts when we are borrowing to pay for them. That is not conservative in my view.
“My other worry is if you are going to make tax changes, a 45p cut that will benefit millionaires but not ordinary people is not the right priority at this point.”
Asked if he was now a “rebel leader”, Mr Gove replied: “No. I’m just a backbencher.”
It comes as prime minister Liz Truss admitted she should have “laid the ground” ahead of the government’s mini-Budget which triggered dramatic market turmoil.
