Truss: I Won't Rule Out Urgent Help On Bills

Urgent action needed to tackle sluggish growth

- Michael Knowles

LIZ Truss is considering making urgent payments direct to households battling the cost-of-living crisis.

Former leadership rival Penny Mordaunt confirmed the Foreign Secretary was “looking at other measures”.

Favourite Ms Truss stood by her pledge to cut tax immediately if she wins the race for No 10, vowing to reverse the National Insurance increase from Boris Johnson’s Government during an emergency Budget.

Ms Mordaunt yesterday suggested that state handouts to help with soaring bills would also be considered by Ms Truss.

The trade minister said she was right to challenge “the wisdom of taking large sums of money out of people’s pockets in tax and then giving some of it back in ever-more complicated ways”, adding that urgent action is needed to prevent sluggish economic growth becoming “the norm”.

Ms Truss had earlier declared that tax cuts – not “handouts” – would help families with rocketing fuel bills this winter. She said: “Of course, I will look at what more can be done.

“But the way I would do things is in a Conservative way of lowering the tax burden, not giving out handouts.”

Her leadership rival Rishi Sunak immediately hit back, saying: “It’s simply wrong to rule out further direct support at this time as Liz Truss has done, and what’s more, her tax proposals are not going to help very significantly people like pensioners or those on low incomes who are exactly the kind of families that are going to need help.”

But Ms Mordaunt said Ms Truss had not ruled out expanding direct payments to people who are struggling financially: