Liz Truss looks to emergency budget to lower tax as she fights Rishi Sunak for No 10
21.07.2022 - 11:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Liz Truss has criticised Rishi Sunak’s record on taxation and the former chancellor claimed he was the only one who could beat Labour as the leadership contest enters its final stage.
The two remaining candidates turned their focus to winning over Tory members, with Ms Truss vowing to bring in an emergency budget to axe the national insurance rise if she were to take on the top job.
But former chancellor Mr Sunak has told the Conservative membership, who will crown the winner, that he could win an election, whereas Ms Truss could not.
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Both candidates have launched pitches in national newspapers this morning in an attempt to reach voters, after Tory MPs selected the pair as their final candidates in a vote yesterday.
Trade minister Penny Mordaunt was eliminated when she came third behind Ms Truss by eight votes. Mr Sunak was the parliamentary party’s favourite, winning 137 votes to Ms Truss’s 113.
But the final vote is in the hands of the Conservative membership. Bookmakers have placed the Foreign Secretary as the frontrunner, with early indications suggesting she is more popular with Tory members ahead of a summer of campaigning.
The pair will try to win over the support of local politicians on Thursday when they take part in a private hustings for the Conservative Councillors’ Association.
They will then tour the UK to take part in 12 hustings for the Tory members who will vote for their next leader, with the result being announced on September 5.
Mr Sunak argued that his rival would not be able to beat Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at a general election.
“I’m confident that we can do that and we’ve got a