RISHI VOW TO MEND ECONOMY IN BID TO CLOSE GAP WITH LIZ

SUNAK VISITS THATCHER’S HOME TOWN AS HE TRAILS RIVAL IN GRASSROOTS POLL

- David Bond and Rachael Burford

RISHI SUNAK today pledged to “turn around” Britain’s stuttering economy as he and Liz Truss prepared for a critical weekend of campaigning to win the backing of Tory party members.

A poll of Conservative activists yesterday showed the uphill battle he faces as he bids to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, with 62 per cent of members saying they would vote for Ms Truss compared with 38 per cent for Mr Sunak. To try to close the gap his team said he would be hitting the campaign trail “hard” this weekend, including a visit tomorrow to Grantham, the home town of former Tory premier Margaret Thatcher.

As allies of Ms Truss and Mr Sunak traded blows on tax cuts once again today, the former chancellor sought to burnish his Thatcherite principles by vowing to use “sound, Conservative economics” to boost the economy amid soaring inflation and low growth. After campaigning in Chelsea last night, Mr Sunak told the Standard today: “The issue that comes up again and again on the doorstep is the economy. We’ve got to turn it around, which is why I’ve outlined a clear plan to do so built on sound, Conservative economics.