UK PM race: Liz Truss rebuts Rishi Sunak's 'electoral suicide note' jibe; 'declinist talk'

Liz Truss, the front-runner in the race to becoming the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has responded to accusations from her rival Rishi Sunak's camp that her economic plans would be "electoral suicide notes" for the Conservatives because they would not shield citizens from rising energy prices. According to The Guardian, speaking during a visit to the Huddersfield defence company Reliance Precision Ltd., Truss insisted that her method would benefit people. Truss went on to accuse Sunak of being a "declinist" and spreading "portents of doom."

On being questioned about the "electoral suicide note" assertion, Truss said, "My campaign is all about growing the British economy. What I care about is Britain being successful. I don’t agree with these portents of doom. I don’t agree with this declinist talk. I believe our country’s best days are ahead of us. What I’m going to do, if selected as prime minister, is keep taxes low, get the economy growing, unleash the potential right across Britain. That’s what I’m about."

Truss asserts lowering taxes would help UK avoid recession

Truss asserted that by lowering taxes to promote growth, she would be able to stop the UK from entering a recession caused by Sunak's high tax policies. Despite stating her commitment to ensuring that people are supported during the current cost of living crisis, Truss refused to provide specifics regarding the types of payments she might make available to individuals.

She said, "What I’m doing is making sure people are paying less taxes and also having a temporary moratorium on the green energy levy to save people money on their fuel bills. I’m not going to write the budget in advance. We’ll see what the situation is like in the autumn. But I’m committed to making sure people are supported and I’m committed to growing the economy."

Even though Truss disqualified "handouts" in a Financial Times interview last week, her team has since clarified her stance, and she is now open to the possibility of providing people with one-time payments in the form of an emergency budget in the coming months. Truss, however, insisted that lowering taxes was her top priority.

(Image: AP)