Thursday, March 28

Sunak accused of ‘screeching U-turn’ by Truss campaign after proposing cutting VAT on fuel bills – UK politics live | Politics


Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary and a leading supporter of Liz Truss for the Tory leadership, has said that Rishi Sunak’s proposal to cut VAT on fuel bills suggests he is “under a lot of pressure’. He told Times Radio:

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n

I think [Sunak is] under a lot of pressure. That’s why we see all these statements: he was the person who said the VAT cut would disproportionately benefit rich families and now he’s saying that a VAT cut on energy bills is the right thing.

n

He was saying that tax cuts were a fairytale, now he is proposing an unfunded tax cut.

n

There comes a time in campaigns when people are under a lot of pressure, he clearly felt under a lot of pressure in the [BBC] debate and he wanted to get out on the front foot and interrupt Liz.

n

I think that was the wrong look for him, I think that was the wrong action, but I can understand why he did that.

n

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Asked whether Sunak could win a general election, Kwarteng told LBC radio:

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n

He has flip-flopped and U-turned on this tax issue, which I find somewhat concerning, but he is a capable politician and a very likeable chap.

n

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Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has challenged Keir Starmer to sack Sam Tarry, a shadow transport minister, for joining an RMT picket line this morning. Before the last rail strike, Starmer told his frontbenchers they should not join picket lines, although two frontbenchers and three ministerial aides who defied the order were not reprimanded.

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Tarry has been giving interviews this morning defending the rail workers, and his right to support them.

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But Shapps implied that if Starmer did not sack Tarry, it would be a sign of weakness. He told Sky News:

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n

It’s clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir Starmer who told his frontbench that they shouldn’t be [on picket lines]. No doubt he’ll want to remove him from his job.

n

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Tarry is already in dispute with Labour HQ over its decision to allow a trigger ballot to go ahead. That means all members in his local party will vote on whether he will remain their candidate at the next election.

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Good morning. This is the third Tory leadership contest in six years taking place while the party is in government, but in 2016 and 2019 the elections were both dominated by the single issue of Brexit. This is not the case this time, and one consequence of that is that Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – the two candidates still in the race – are having, or choosing, to say a lot more about policy in a range of areas.

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And they are at it again this morning, with both making announcements.

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    n

  • Truss, who is now seen as the clear frontrunner in the contest, has promised a return to national crime targets, pledging a 20% reduction in murders, other violence and burglaries within two years. My colleagues Peter Walker and Vikram Dodd have the details here.
  • n

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In response, the Sunak campaign described this as “a lightweight plan based on publishing data the government already does and a power grab away from police and crime commissioners, including many excellent Conservative PCCs driving down crime in their area”.

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    n

  • Sunak has promised to scrap VAT on household fuel bills next year, saving the average household £160. As chancellor he resisted calls to cut VAT on fuel, arguing that this would disproprotionately help wealthy families paying to heat large homes, but he says he favours the move now because the energy price cap is expected to rise above £3,000 in October. The proposal is part of what Sunak calls his “winter plan”, and my colleague Heather Stewart has the details.
  • n

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The Truss campaign has described this as a “screeching U-turn”. A Truss campaign source told the Telegraph:

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n

It’s good that Rishi has finally woken up and decided to offer something to people struggling with the rising cost of living. However, this feels like a screeching U-turn from someone who has spent the last few weeks of the leadership campaign branding everyone else’s tax cuts immoral and fairytales.

n

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n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/TmorrowsPapers/status/1552041555162238986″,”id”:”1552041555162238986″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”54680deb-6c83-4e07-8823-c1950296db11″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury and a leading Truss supporter, has made much the same point on Twitter.

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n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/TmorrowsPapers/status/1552041555162238986″,”id”:”1552041555162238986″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”80e988b0-33a4-4284-a58a-5ce4abee7bc7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Perhaps what is most interesting about the Sunak announcement is what it says about how Sunak thinks his campaign is faring.

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As chancellor he always said he was willing to do more to help people with heating bills in the winter. But his last pacakge of measures was largely focused on measures targeted at low-income households; a VAT cut would help everyone, including richer people who need the money much less, which was why Sunak used to argue it was a bad idea. But many of the people voting in the Conservative leadership contest are in this category.

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So Sunak is retreating from the preference for targeted intervention that he championed as chancellor. He also risks undermining his main argument against Truss, which is that she has been promising unfunded tax cuts. That is the sort of move you might expect from a campaign in trouble (which is what the polling suggests) calculating that it needs to do something drastic to regain the initiative.

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There is not much in the political diary for the day, but campaigning never stops, so we will find something to blog about.

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I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

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If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

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Alternatively, you can email me at [email protected]

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Key events

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary and a leading supporter of Liz Truss for the Tory leadership, has said that Rishi Sunak’s proposal to cut VAT on fuel bills suggests he is “under a lot of pressure’. He told Times Radio:

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n

I think [Sunak is] under a lot of pressure. That’s why we see all these statements: he was the person who said the VAT cut would disproportionately benefit rich families and now he’s saying that a VAT cut on energy bills is the right thing.

n

He was saying that tax cuts were a fairytale, now he is proposing an unfunded tax cut.

n

There comes a time in campaigns when people are under a lot of pressure, he clearly felt under a lot of pressure in the [BBC] debate and he wanted to get out on the front foot and interrupt Liz.

n

I think that was the wrong look for him, I think that was the wrong action, but I can understand why he did that.

n

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Asked whether Sunak could win a general election, Kwarteng told LBC radio:

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n

He has flip-flopped and U-turned on this tax issue, which I find somewhat concerning, but he is a capable politician and a very likeable chap.

n

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ally Kwasi Kwarteng says Sunak’s VAT on fuel U-turn shows he’s ‘under a lot of pressure'”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Wed 27 Jul 2022 10.32 BST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Wed 27 Jul 2022 09.25 BST”},{“id”:”62e0f9c58f081279409062e4″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has challenged Keir Starmer to sack Sam Tarry, a shadow transport minister, for joining an RMT picket line this morning. Before the last rail strike, Starmer told his frontbenchers they should not join picket lines, although two frontbenchers and three ministerial aides who defied the order were not reprimanded.

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Tarry has been giving interviews this morning defending the rail workers, and his right to support them.

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But Shapps implied that if Starmer did not sack Tarry, it would be a sign of weakness. He told Sky News:

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n

It’s clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir Starmer who told his frontbench that they shouldn’t be [on picket lines]. No doubt he’ll want to remove him from his job.

n

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Tarry is already in dispute with Labour HQ over its decision to allow a trigger ballot to go ahead. That means all members in his local party will vote on whether he will remain their candidate at the next election.

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Good morning. This is the third Tory leadership contest in six years taking place while the party is in government, but in 2016 and 2019 the elections were both dominated by the single issue of Brexit. This is not the case this time, and one consequence of that is that Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – the two candidates still in the race – are having, or choosing, to say a lot more about policy in a range of areas.

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And they are at it again this morning, with both making announcements.

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    n

  • Truss, who is now seen as the clear frontrunner in the contest, has promised a return to national crime targets, pledging a 20% reduction in murders, other violence and burglaries within two years. My colleagues Peter Walker and Vikram Dodd have the details here.
  • n

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In response, the Sunak campaign described this as “a lightweight plan based on publishing data the government already does and a power grab away from police and crime commissioners, including many excellent Conservative PCCs driving down crime in their area”.

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    n

  • Sunak has promised to scrap VAT on household fuel bills next year, saving the average household £160. As chancellor he resisted calls to cut VAT on fuel, arguing that this would disproprotionately help wealthy families paying to heat large homes, but he says he favours the move now because the energy price cap is expected to rise above £3,000 in October. The proposal is part of what Sunak calls his “winter plan”, and my colleague Heather Stewart has the details.
  • n

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The Truss campaign has described this as a “screeching U-turn”. A Truss campaign source told the Telegraph:

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n

It’s good that Rishi has finally woken up and decided to offer something to people struggling with the rising cost of living. However, this feels like a screeching U-turn from someone who has spent the last few weeks of the leadership campaign branding everyone else’s tax cuts immoral and fairytales.

n

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n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/TmorrowsPapers/status/1552041555162238986″,”id”:”1552041555162238986″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”54680deb-6c83-4e07-8823-c1950296db11″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury and a leading Truss supporter, has made much the same point on Twitter.

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Perhaps what is most interesting about the Sunak announcement is what it says about how Sunak thinks his campaign is faring.

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As chancellor he always said he was willing to do more to help people with heating bills in the winter. But his last pacakge of measures was largely focused on measures targeted at low-income households; a VAT cut would help everyone, including richer people who need the money much less, which was why Sunak used to argue it was a bad idea. But many of the people voting in the Conservative leadership contest are in this category.

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So Sunak is retreating from the preference for targeted intervention that he championed as chancellor. He also risks undermining his main argument against Truss, which is that she has been promising unfunded tax cuts. That is the sort of move you might expect from a campaign in trouble (which is what the polling suggests) calculating that it needs to do something drastic to regain the initiative.

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There is not much in the political diary for the day, but campaigning never stops, so we will find something to blog about.

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I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

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If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

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Alternatively, you can email me at [email protected]

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Truss ally Kwasi Kwarteng says Sunak’s VAT on fuel U-turn shows he’s ‘under a lot of pressure’

Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary and a leading supporter of Liz Truss for the Tory leadership, has said that Rishi Sunak’s proposal to cut VAT on fuel bills suggests he is “under a lot of pressure’. He told Times Radio:

I think [Sunak is] under a lot of pressure. That’s why we see all these statements: he was the person who said the VAT cut would disproportionately benefit rich families and now he’s saying that a VAT cut on energy bills is the right thing.

He was saying that tax cuts were a fairytale, now he is proposing an unfunded tax cut.

There comes a time in campaigns when people are under a lot of pressure, he clearly felt under a lot of pressure in the [BBC] debate and he wanted to get out on the front foot and interrupt Liz.

I think that was the wrong look for him, I think that was the wrong action, but I can understand why he did that.

Asked whether Sunak could win a general election, Kwarteng told LBC radio:

He has flip-flopped and U-turned on this tax issue, which I find somewhat concerning, but he is a capable politician and a very likeable chap.

Kwasi Kwarteng with Liz Truss in the Commons last week. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

These are from the Conservative MP John Redwood attacking Rishi Sunak over his proposed VAT cut for fuel bills.

Rishi told us tax cuts would be immoral. Now he wants one. Rishi stood for election in 2019 on no National Insurance rise, then imposed one. Rishi said tax cuts would be inflationary so he would not offer them . Why should we believe anything he says?

— John Redwood (@johnredwood) July 27, 2022

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Rishi told us tax cuts would be immoral. Now he wants one. Rishi stood for election in 2019 on no National Insurance rise, then imposed one. Rishi said tax cuts would be inflationary so he would not offer them . Why should we believe anything he says?

— John Redwood (@johnredwood) July 27, 2022

Why is the Rishi cut of VAT on domestic fuel for one year only? How would imposing VAT on energy just before a General election help Conservatives win it?

— John Redwood (@johnredwood) July 27, 2022

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Why is the Rishi cut of VAT on domestic fuel for one year only? How would imposing VAT on energy just before a General election help Conservatives win it?

— John Redwood (@johnredwood) July 27, 2022

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary and a Rishi Sunak supporter, has also dismissed claims that Sunak’s plan to cut VAT on domestic fuel bills amounts to a U-turn. He told BBC Breakfast:

If [Sunak] hadn’t produced £37bn of support, about £1,200 to the hardest-up households already – if he hadn’t done any of that and then suddenly did it then you would have a point.

But he has, he has been providing all this support, now he is saying ‘here’s something that won’t add to inflation that would save every person watching your programme £160 off their energy bills’ – I think that’s worthwhile.

Shapps challenges Starmer to sack shadow transport minister for joining RMT picket line

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has challenged Keir Starmer to sack Sam Tarry, a shadow transport minister, for joining an RMT picket line this morning. Before the last rail strike, Starmer told his frontbenchers they should not join picket lines, although two frontbenchers and three ministerial aides who defied the order were not reprimanded.

Tarry has been giving interviews this morning defending the rail workers, and his right to support them.

'I'm here as Shadow Transport Minister backing transport workers who are on strike'
Labour's @SamTarry is on the @RMTUnion picket line today.
He spoke to #BBCBreakfast on why he's ignoring a call from leader Keir Starmer not to do sohttps://t.co/6fPS8IAnBB pic.twitter.com/2nw9pjQAog

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 27, 2022

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But Shapps implied that if Starmer did not sack Tarry, it would be a sign of weakness. He told Sky News:

It’s clearly in direct defiance of Sir Keir Starmer who told his frontbench that they shouldn’t be [on picket lines]. No doubt he’ll want to remove him from his job.

Tarry is already in dispute with Labour HQ over its decision to allow a trigger ballot to go ahead. That means all members in his local party will vote on whether he will remain their candidate at the next election.

Sunak accused of ‘screeching U-turn’ by Truss campaign after proposing cutting VAT on fuel bills

Good morning. This is the third Tory leadership contest in six years taking place while the party is in government, but in 2016 and 2019 the elections were both dominated by the single issue of Brexit. This is not the case this time, and one consequence of that is that Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – the two candidates still in the race – are having, or choosing, to say a lot more about policy in a range of areas.

And they are at it again this morning, with both making announcements.

  • Truss, who is now seen as the clear frontrunner in the contest, has promised a return to national crime targets, pledging a 20% reduction in murders, other violence and burglaries within two years. My colleagues Peter Walker and Vikram Dodd have the details here.

In response, the Sunak campaign described this as “a lightweight plan based on publishing data the government already does and a power grab away from police and crime commissioners, including many excellent Conservative PCCs driving down crime in their area”.

  • Sunak has promised to scrap VAT on household fuel bills next year, saving the average household £160. As chancellor he resisted calls to cut VAT on fuel, arguing that this would disproprotionately help wealthy families paying to heat large homes, but he says he favours the move now because the energy price cap is expected to rise above £3,000 in October. The proposal is part of what Sunak calls his “winter plan”, and my colleague Heather Stewart has the details.

The Truss campaign has described this as a “screeching U-turn”. A Truss campaign source told the Telegraph:

It’s good that Rishi has finally woken up and decided to offer something to people struggling with the rising cost of living. However, this feels like a screeching U-turn from someone who has spent the last few weeks of the leadership campaign branding everyone else’s tax cuts immoral and fairytales.

Wednesday's Telegraph: Sunak's 'screeching U-turn' on tax cuts #TomorrowsPapersToday #DailyTelegraph #Telegraph pic.twitter.com/UhdQ78xcO7

— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) July 26, 2022

n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/TmorrowsPapers/status/1552041555162238986″,”id”:”1552041555162238986″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”53460466-ab0a-465e-9395-f3dd2c40a262″}}”/>

Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury and a leading Truss supporter, has made much the same point on Twitter.

Wednesday's Telegraph: Sunak's 'screeching U-turn' on tax cuts #TomorrowsPapersToday #DailyTelegraph #Telegraph pic.twitter.com/UhdQ78xcO7

— Tomorrows Papers Today (@TmorrowsPapers) July 26, 2022

n”,”url”:”https://twitter.com/TmorrowsPapers/status/1552041555162238986″,”id”:”1552041555162238986″,”hasMedia”:false,”role”:”inline”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false,”source”:”Twitter”,”elementId”:”d9336a4f-829c-43f0-8195-c6e44bd1c510″}}”/>

Perhaps what is most interesting about the Sunak announcement is what it says about how Sunak thinks his campaign is faring.

As chancellor he always said he was willing to do more to help people with heating bills in the winter. But his last pacakge of measures was largely focused on measures targeted at low-income households; a VAT cut would help everyone, including richer people who need the money much less, which was why Sunak used to argue it was a bad idea. But many of the people voting in the Conservative leadership contest are in this category.

So Sunak is retreating from the preference for targeted intervention that he championed as chancellor. He also risks undermining his main argument against Truss, which is that she has been promising unfunded tax cuts. That is the sort of move you might expect from a campaign in trouble (which is what the polling suggests) calculating that it needs to do something drastic to regain the initiative.

There is not much in the political diary for the day, but campaigning never stops, so we will find something to blog about.

I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

Alternatively, you can email me at [email protected]




www.theguardian.com

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