London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jul 21, 2025

Truss tax plans could put millions at risk of ‘real destitution’, says Sunak

Truss tax plans could put millions at risk of ‘real destitution’, says Sunak

Candidates to be next prime minister clash over how to tackle energy crisis at hustings in Cheltenham
Liz Truss’s tax cut-based approach to the energy crisis risks putting millions of Britons in “real destitution”, Rishi Sunak has warned, as the Conservative leadership candidates again clashed bitterly over economic policy.

The hustings event on Thursday in Cheltenham, a key Tory-held marginal seat, also saw the foreign secretary effectively rule out any increased windfall tax on energy firm profits, as she hit out at the “depressing” sight of fields used for solar power.

Sunak’s vehement comments came after Truss, in her own Q&A session at the event, reiterated her belief that tax cuts should be the main response to soaring bills.

Truss told the audience of Tory members this would always be her “first port of call”, followed by a focus on longer-term energy supply issues such as support for fracking and nuclear power.

Also promising she would not call an election before 2024, Truss said she could provide other assistance, but gave no details, saying she “can’t write the chancellor’s budget” before even being elected as prime minister.

“If the answer to every question is raising tax, we will choke off economic growth, and we will send ourselves to penury, and I think that’s a massive problem,” she argued.

Speaking after her, Sunak castigated Truss for what he said was a lack of action to help people who would not benefit from her planned reduction in national insurance contributions, including pensioners and those not in work.

“We are going to, as a Conservative government, leave millions of incredibly vulnerable people at the risk of real destitution,” the former chancellor said. “And I think that’s a real moral failure.”

To do this would mean “the country will never, ever forgive us”, he added.

Truss also said she would “absolutely” not support a wider windfall tax, saying: “I don’t think profit is a dirty word.”

She added: “I think it’s a Labour idea. It’s all about bashing business, and it sends the wrong message to international investors and to the public.”

Asked about an early election, she pledged: “I will not have an election before 2024. I think that’s a very important point, because we’ve got to deliver for people.”

Quizzed about agricultural land, Truss hit out at its use for solar panels: “I think one of the most depressing sights when you’re driving through England is seeing fields that should be full of crops or livestock, full of solar panels.”

She added: “I’m not against solar panels per se. There are plenty of commercial roofs in Britain where we could be putting solar panels. But where they shouldn’t be is on agricultural land that should be used for food production.”

Sunak, widely seen as lagging well behind Truss among Tory members, pitched his appeal as a PM who could appeal to floating voters.

Cheltenham is currently held by Tory MP Alex Chalk, who introduced Sunak, but with a majority of less than 1,000 over the Liberal Democrats.

Asked how he could win over waverers, Sunak explicitly contrasted his style against that of Boris Johnson: “What they want is a government that works competently, seriously, with decency and integrity at the heart of everything it does.

“That’s the kind of government I’m going to lead, and that’s how we’re going to win the election.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
×