No energy rationing or new taxes Truss claims at final Tory leadership hustings
The Tory leadership frontrunner reiterated her two priorities are to cut taxes and to secure the UK’s energy supply as people across the country battle soaring costs.
She added a third priority would be to address costs in the form of a budget or a “fiscal event”, telling the audience: “In a fiscal event, the chancellor would address the issue of household support.”
Asked by LBC’s Nick Ferrari whether she would agree to no new taxes as outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson did, Ms Truss said: “Yes, no new taxes.”
Speaking at the 12th and final leadership hustings at Wembley Arena, Ms Truss also confirmed she would “absolutely be looking to act on business energy costs” amid concerns over the crippling effect of high bills.
Pressed on whether she could rule out energy rationing, Ms Truss replied: “I do rule that out.”
Underdog
Rival Rishi Sunak, who had a warm-up video labelling himself the “underdog”, offered a less definitive answer on the issue of energy rationing.
He said: “We shouldn’t rule anything out because the challenges that we face with this crisis are significant.”
Mr Sunak had opted to heap praise on Ms Truss in his opening remarks before marking a clean line about his approach.
He said leadership “starts by being straight with the country about the economic challenges”, adding: “I’ve not chosen to say the things that people may want to hear, I’ve said the things I believe our country needs to hear.
“Although it hasn’t made my life easy, it is honest and, for me, that is what leadership is all about.”
The former chancellor said he has the “ability and experience to safely steer us through the storms ahead”, adding: “My plan is the right plan to tackle inflation, to compassionately support those who most need our help and to safeguard our children’s economic inheritance.
“Because as Margaret Thatcher and Nigel Lawson knew, maxing out the country’s credit card is not right, it’s not responsible and it is certainly not Conservative.”
On the NHS, Mr Sunak said: “The NHS will always be safe in my hands but we cannot simply keep throwing money at it. I will be brave enough to actually reform it to get the more efficient health service that we need.”
Mr Sunak also said his government would be conducted “competently”, “seriously” and “with decency and integrity at the heart of everything that we do”, noting: “That is the change that I am going to bring, that is the prime minister I am going to be and that is how we’re going to win the next general election.”
On other policy areas, Ms Truss replied “yes” when asked if she would stop smart motorways amid safety concerns.
Asked to reduce the childcare ratios for England and scrap business rates for nurseries, Ms Truss said she wanted to be in touch with the member who suggested the proposals.
She said: “Childcare is too expensive for parents across our country, we do need to reform the way we do things, we need to also reform the Government funding as it currently comes from three different departments … and it would be an absolute priority for me to help the brilliant people who work in nurseries, but also help parents who are struggling with the cost of living.”
Voting in the Tory leadership contest closes at 5pm on Friday and the winner will be announced on Monday.
Balmoral
Mr Johnson and his successor will then go to Balmoral for the appointment of the new prime minister, rather than Buckingham Palace.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that either Ms Truss or Mr Sunak will be meeting the Queen in Scotland, rather than in London as is tradition.
The Queen will receive Mr Johnson on Tuesday September 6 at her Aberdeenshire home, where he will formally tender his resignation.
This will be followed by an audience with the new Tory leader, where she or he will be invited to form a government.
The news will inevitably heighten concerns about the health of the 96-year-old monarch.
Mr Johnson said arrangements for the handover will be tailored to make sure they suit the Queen.
He sidestepped a question about when he last spoke to her and if he was concerned that she would not be coming to London for the handover.
“I don’t talk about my conversations with the Queen, no prime minister ever does,” Mr Johnson told reporters during a visit to Barrow-in-Furness.
“But I can tell you we will certainly make sure that the arrangements for the handover will fit totally around her and whatever she wants.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
All this posturing and rhetoric to try and influence 0.01% of the population while the bulk of us are about to fall into a deep financial hole. What do they plan to do about it? Well it looks like they’ll do the least possIble – if anything at all. It is truly disgusting and we don’t deserve it. We deserve better, our children deserve better. It’s time for fundamental change.
They’re doing loads of things, they’re putting in place measures that will ensure the tories stay in power indefinitely, they’ve nobbled the electoral commission, they’ve changed the constituency boundaries, they’re having a big push to get Brits living abroad to sign up to vote regardless of how long they haven’t been in the UK, households can no longer register to vote, it’s down to the individual to register, voter id, and I believe EU nationals who’ve made the UK their home (if there are any stupid enough) won’t be able to vote. These are just a few things the tories… Read more »
So if it’s a cold winter and PM Truss is told that there is not enough energy to go around she will refuse advice to ration and instead we will see unplanned blackouts as energy is unable to keep up with demand.
I’m beginning to think the Nation.Cymru have a blacklist of names, nearly every comment I make either has to “await approval” or I have 3 or 4 captcha images to click through before I can make a post, If you don’t like my posts just block me ffs!
Oh look! My actual response to you is “waiting for approval”. So we’re not likely to ever see that again
“how many American fire hydrants can you see”?lol
I’m sure the tiny number of baby boomers voting on our future will lap this vague faux-patriotic rubbish up! But it’s terrible this stage of our national suicide is in the hands of the senile. Lizard has missed a trick though. Baby Boomers LOVE rationing. They bang about it ALL THE TIME when ranting about “kids today”. It started when their own kids Gen X were the target of their hatred then continued at Y, millennials and Gen Z. Apart from remembering when things were fields, it’s their favourite thing to bang on about, like it made them tough! They… Read more »
Try…rationing-diet-life expectancy uk
…………….and here’s Lizzy………clap, chimps, clap…………..