Rishi Sunak has warned Liz Truss risks tipping millions into "economic misery" and fuelling inflation with her economic proposals, as the pair trashed each other's policy platforms in an acrimonious debate.
Hitting out at the foreign secretary's £30bn-plus tax cut plans, the former chancellor claimed there was "nothing Conservative" about her approach, with the party having "absolutely no chance" of winning the next election.
In their first head-to-head debate in the final stage of the Tory leadership contest, Ms Truss hit back, accusing Mr Sunak of "scaremongering" and "Project Fear" - a term Brexiteers used to dismiss the economic warnings of the Remain camp in 2016.
While both suggested more help for the British public on rocketing energy bills if they replace Boris Johnson in No 10, Ms Truss also went on to claim Mr Sunak's current proposals would tip the country into recession.
"This chancellor has raised taxes to the highest rate in 70 years and we're now predicted a recession," she said. "The truth is in the figures".
This story is from the July 26, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the July 26, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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