Sunak says Truss tax-cut plans ‘are not moral’, in increasingly hostile leadership race

Candidates explain how they would support cash-strapped households during the crisis in the cost of living

Rishi Sunak talks during a visit to St John's Wood Synagogue on Wednesday. AP

Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak has suggested that Liz Truss’s tax-cutting proposals were not “moral” during an interview with the BBC broadcast on Wednesday night.

When asked about further support for the cost of living, the former chancellor said: “That’s what my plan is about and actually, alternative proposals that don’t focus on that I don’t think are right and I don’t think are, actually, quite frankly the moral thing to do.”

Mr Sunak said extra support he would give to vulnerable households could total a few billion pounds.

“Right, because that’s the scale, if you look at the scale of the problem we’re talking about, and then it depends exactly how we spread that around and provide most help to those who most need it,” he said.

Mr Sunak said the government had a “moral responsibility” to help families through the crisis.

When he was chancellor in May he announced a £15.8 billion ($19.3bn) support package but on Wednesday he said that if he became prime minister he would go further.

“I do feel a moral responsibility as prime minister to go further and get extra help to people over the autumn and the winter, to help them cope with what is going to be a really difficult time,” Mr Sunak said.

“I think that is the right priority.”

Asked whether the extra payments would cost a “few billion” or more than £10 billion, he replied: “It’s much closer to the former than the latter.”

Mr Sunak also said he would “rather lose” the Conservative leadership contest while maintaining his values than promise “false things that I can’t deliver”.

He said he wanted to win back trust in politics after departing prime minister Boris Johnson’s turbulent leadership.

“I do think there has been a breakdown in trust because of the issues of the last several months and part of why I am sitting here is because I want to restore trust back into politics," Mr Sunak said.

“I want to put integrity and honesty at the heart of how I run government and how I want to be prime minister. And as you can see in this leadership contest, I have been doing that.

“I haven’t been saying the easy things and actually I am prepared to lose this contest if it means that I have been true to my values and I am fighting for the things that I think are right for this country.

“I would rather lose on those terms than win by promising false things that I can’t deliver.”

UK Conservatives on the leadership campaign trail — in pictures

Candidates Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss at the Conservative Party leadership election hustings at Wembley Arena, London. This was the final hustings attended by Tory Party members who will vote for the new leader and next prime minister. EPA

Liz Truss addresses Conservative Party members at Wembley Arena. AP

Mr Sunak puts forward his case to be leader while speaking at Wembley Arena. Bloomberg

Mr Sunak visits his family's old business, Bassett Pharmacy in Southampton, while on the campaign trail. Reuters

Ms Truss speaks to staff at Condimentum Ltd at the Food Enterprise Park in Norwich. Getty Images

A Rishi Sunak supporter at a hustings event in Norfolk. PA

Mr Sunak greets people at a leadership hustings in Manchester. Bloomberg

Ms Truss poses for a selfie with a supporter as she arrives for the event in Manchester. Getty

Rishi Sunak looks through the sights of an anti-tank missile launcher, supplied to Ukraine, during a visit to the Thales Defence System plant in Belfast, Northern Ireland. AP

Liz Truss at a Conservative Party leadership campaign event in Belfast. Getty

Liz Truss meets supporters before a hustings in Perth, Scotland. Getty

Rishi Sunak speaks during a campaign visit to Cluny Castle in Inverurie, Scotland. Getty

Police hold back protesters outside Perth Concert Hall, Scotland, where Conservative leadership candidates Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were speaking. PA

A mural showing the two leadership contestants appears on a wall in Belfast, Northern Ireland. AP

Rishi Sunak during a visit to St John's Wood Synagogue, north London. PA

Liz Truss at the Conservative Party leadership election hustings in Cheltenham. EPA

Rishi Sunak during a hustings event in Cheltenham. Reuters

Liz Truss speaks to scientists during a campaign visit to a life sciences laboratory at Alderley Park in Manchester. PA

Rishi Sunak during a campaign hustings in Darlington, England. Bloomberg

Liz Truss meets party members before she speaks at the Darlington campaign hustings. Getty

Rishi Sunak arrives for the Darlington hustings. Getty

Liz Truss plays pool during a visit to the Onside Future Youth Zone in London. Reuters

Rishi Sunak looks at a book with Teddy Openshaw, 4, as his father, Henry, looks on after a Conservative leadership campaign event in Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. Getty

Liz Truss plays table tennis with former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith during a visit to the Onside Future Youth Zone in London. Reuters

Liz Truss with supporters at a campaign event in Solihull, England. Reuters

Rishi Sunak attends a campaign event held by his party in Bexhill, England. Reuters

A protester is removed as Ms Truss speaks during the Conservative Party leadership hustings in Eastbourne. Bloomberg

Mr Sunak speaks at an event in Edinburgh. PA

Ms Truss leaves the hall in Exeter, south-west England, after her speech to a Conservative Party membership hustings. Getty

Mr Sunak speaks at the University of Exeter in south-west England. AP

A supporter of Ms Truss at a Conservative Party hustings in Exeter, south-west England. Getty

Ms Truss at a hustings event at the Pavilion conference centre at Elland Road in Leeds. PA

Mr Sunak in Salisbury watching a screening of the Uefa Women's Euro 2022 final between England and Germany at Wembley stadium. England won 2-1 in extra time. PA

Ms Truss before the Uefa Women's Euro 2022 final at Wembley stadium in London. AFP

Mr Sunak meets Tory members at Fontwell Park Racecourse. Reuters

Ms Truss at an event in Dereham, Norfolk. AFP

Mr Sunak in Ropley, near Winchester, Hampshire. PA

Ms Truss speaks as Conservative Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat looks on at a Conservative Party leadership campaign event at Biggin Hill Airport. Getty

Ms Truss on the campaign trail in Woodford Green, on the outskirts of London. Reuters

Mr Sunak at a Conservative Party hustings event in Leeds. AFP

Ms Truss speaks at the hustings event in Leeds. AFP

Sunak and Truss-themed souvenirs at a stand during the Leeds hustings event. Reuters

Ms Truss, and her mother, Patricia, arrive for the hustings event. Getty

Ms Truss poses with supporters in Morley, England. Getty

Mr Sunak delivers a speech during a campaign event in Newmarket. AFP

Ms Truss and Jake Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, during a visit to a broadband interchange company in Leeds. PA

Mr Sunak answers questions as he takes part in the hustings in Leeds. AFP

Ms Truss speaks at an event at a private house with members of the Conservative Party in Woodford Green. PA

Ms Truss and Mr Sunak pose for a picture before a BBC leadership debate at Victoria Hall in Hanley. Getty

Ms Truss addresses Mr Sunak during the televised debate. Getty

Mr Sunak, with daughters Krishna and Anushka, and wife Akshata Murthy, during a visit to Vaculug tyre specialists at Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham. PA

Ms Truss speaks to people while campaigning in Marden. Getty

Ms Truss celebrates after being named, along with Mr Sunak, one of the final two candidates in the race to become the UK's next prime minister. PA

Mr Sunak outside his campaign office in central London. EPA

Ms Truss outside Downing Street in London. Reuters

Rishi Sunak meets Conservative Party members and activists, in Teesport, Redcar. Reuters

Conservative leadership candidates Mr Sunak, Ms Truss, Kemi Badenoch, presenter Julie Etchingham, Tom Tugendhat and Penny Mordaunt during 'Britain's Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate' in London. EPA

Ms Badenoch arrives at Here East studios in Stratford, east London, before a live television debate. PA

Mr Sunak arrives at a London event to launch his campaign to be the next Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister. Reuters

Mr Tugendhat appears on the BBC One current affairs programme, 'Sunday Morning'. PA

Ms Badenoch, Ms Mordaunt, Mr Sunak, Ms Truss and Mr Tugendhat before the live television debate. PA

Ms Mordaunt arrives for the launch of her Conservative leadership campaign at the Cinnamon Club in Westminster. PA

Ms Truss speaks at the launch event for her campaign to become the next leader of the Tory Party and Britain's prime minister, in London. EPA

Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi, one of the candidates who has been knocked out of the race, giving a speech at the Churchill War Rooms. PA

Former leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt appearing on the BBC One current affairs programme, 'Sunday Morning'. PA

Sajid Javid attending the launch of his campaign to be Conservative Party leader and prime minister, at the Cinnamon Club in London. He has since been knocked out of the contest. PA

Rehman Chishti is interviewed after announcing his bid to become the next prime minister. Mr Chishti is no longer in the race. Getty

Mr Tugendhat speaking at the launch of his campaign. PA

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith arrive for the Truss campaign launch event. Getty

Former leadership candidate Attorney General Suella Braverman at the Churchill War Rooms in central London. PA

Supporters of Mr Sunak wait for his arrival ahead of the campaign launch. Bloomberg

Mr Tugendhat makes a speech at the launch of his campaign. PA

Mr Javid mops his brow while launching his campaign. Getty

Ms Truss leaves for work after her announcement that she would be running for the leadership of the Conservative Party. Getty

But the Truss campaign accused Mr Sunak of “old fashioned, Gordon Brown-style politics of envy”.

“Liz believes in people keeping more of their own money, not Rishi’s socialist tax and spend, which will lead us to recession,” a campaign spokesman said.

Earlier, Treasury Chief Secretary Simon Clarke confirmed that officials were working on a new support package for the next prime minister to consider.

Mr Clarke said it was “absolutely right” for the new leader to consider “these options in the round” when they took the reins, and that they should steer clear of announcing “new, uncosted policies” during the election period.

Everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak - video

Meanwhile, Ms Truss — who had opposed further “handouts” — denied that she had ruled out more direct help for families struggling with soaring energy bills.

She said that if she became prime minister on September 5, she would instruct the chancellor to look at the issue “in the round” and to come up with a solution.

At the same time, Ms Truss said it was wrong to “whack up” taxes simply to pay out more in benefits, while her campaign team accused Mr Sunak of pursuing “socialist tax and spend” policies.

With analysts predicting average annual household energy bills could top £4,200 in January, the cost of living continued to dominate the exchanges in the battle to succeed Mr Johnson.

Ms Truss, who has said her priority is to reduce taxes, pledging to reverse a rise in national insurance, insisted she was committed to supporting working families through the winter.

“If the only answer to everything is to whack up taxes and give out more benefits, then the country is going to run into trouble," she said, taking questions on GB News from an audience in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

“We are predicted to have a recession. It is important we grow the economy.

“I will do everything I can to support working families who work hard and do the right thing.

“If I am elected as your prime minister, I will make sure the chancellor has an emergency budget and looks at this issue in the round and sorts this issue out.”

Everything you need to know about Liz Truss - video

Mr Sunak’s supporters said that she appeared to be backing away from her previous position.

“This is a major U-turn on the biggest issue currently facing the country,” a campaign spokesman said.

“Taking action means providing direct support, which Truss had previously dismissed as ‘handouts’.”