London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Truss warns against ‘talking UK into a recession’ in leadership hustings

Truss warns against ‘talking UK into a recession’ in leadership hustings

Tory favourite for No 10 says taxes should be kept low as rival Sunak says his priority will be to tackle inflation

Liz Truss has used her latest pitch to the Tory party membership to warn against talking the UK into a recession, a day after the Bank of England forecast the economy will soon suffer a five-quarter recession.

Speaking at the Tory party leadership hustings in Eastbourne, Truss suggested her plans for immediate tax cuts if she becomes prime minister could avert recession.

She said: “I know there are difficult forecasts out there, but forecasts are not destiny. And what we shouldn’t be doing is talking ourselves into a recession. We should be keeping taxes low.”

She added: “We can create the British version of Silicon Valley. We can create real opportunities.”

During an appearance that was twice interrupted by climate activists, Truss also expressed support for fracking, as well as caution about the government’s net zero target and a crackdown against Extinction Rebellion protests.

To cheers from the audience she said: “I want us to frack in parts of the country where there’s local support, so that we can get the energy security we need.”

She was urged by an audience member to “examine the scientific group-think for net zero”. Truss replied: “We do need to transition to net zero, but I want to do so in a way that doesn’t clobber households and doesn’t clobber businesses. That’s why I’d have immediate moratorium on the green energy levy, while we look at better ways of delivering net zero using private sector innovation and technology to deliver.”

After being heckled by climate activists Truss said: “I will make sure that militant activists such as Extinction Rebellion are not able to disrupt ordinary people who work hard.”

Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak cautioned that the Conservatives can ‘kiss goodbye to winning that next election’ if inflation was not brought under control.


Rishi Sunak was more enthusiastic about net zero, but also cautious. He again said the only political issue his two young daughters asked him about was the environment. The former chancellor said: “I don’t want to let them down, first and foremost. You’ve heard me talk passionately about the public finances, the borrowing and the debt that we leave for our kids and our grandkids. I’m equally passionate about the environment that we live in, because we’re Conservatives.”

He added: “I do believe in our net zero target. I want us to get there in a measured way because there is no point in us racing there harder and faster than any other country because that will just both impoverish us.”

On the economy, the former chancellor said that unless inflation is under control, “we can kiss goodbye to winning that next election”.

Asked by the host and former Downing Street adviser Jimmy McLoughlin what his pitch to win a fifth term is going to be, Sunak said his first priority would be tackling inflation.

He said: “As the Bank of England said, they are worried about inflation becoming embedded, then there’s no hope that we’re going to win that next election. Absolutely none.

He added: “If we don’t get a grip of this thing and get a grip of it fast, then we can kiss goodbye to winning that next election. So the first thing to put ourselves in a position to win is to get through inflation and get through it quickly and not do things worse.”

Truss, the frontrunner in the race, was asked to identify Sunak’s main strengths. She replied: “He’s a very intelligent person. He’s a very competent minister. And I would be very pleased that if I’m successful that he would come with me in our team.”

Asked the same question of Truss, Sunak said: “Liz is great at explaining Conservative values.”

Truss described her membership of the Liberal Democrats as a “teenage misadventure”, adding: “Some people have you know, sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. I was in the Liberal Democrats.”

And she praised the outgoing prime minister, saying: “Boris Johnson is hugely respected in Ukraine. He has a street and a croissant named after him and I don’t think many international leaders have achieved that.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×