Watch: Boris Johnson’s government wins confidence with 349 votes
Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss has a huge lead over her rival Rishi Sunak in a new YouGov poll.
The foreign secretary opened up a 24-point lead after 62 per cent of the 730 Tory members that were surveyed said they would vote for her to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister.
Former chancellor Mr Sunak received 38 per cent of the vote.
Meanwhile, Ms Truss’ plan to bring in immediate tax cuts is likely to push up prices and risks a return to 1970s-style inflation, top economists have warned while Mr Sunak has declared himself a Thatcherite.
Ms Truss pledged to bring in tax cuts of at least £30bn if she becomes PM, claiming: “My tax cuts will decrease inflation.”
Dr Jo Michell, associate professor of Economics at UWE Bristol, told The Independent that Ms Truss was wrong to claim tax cuts would bring inflation down.
“The tax cuts she’s proposing are more likely to be inflationary, so on the balance of probability her comments are false,” he said. “It’s certainly a gamble – saying the plan has no risk [of increasing inflation] is ridiculous.”
