Addressing the foreign secretary, the former chancellor said: “Liz, we have to be honest. Paying your way out of inflation is not a plan, it’s a fairy tale.” She countered: ‘You can’t tax your way to growth.’
Ms Mordaunt was also challenged on her stance on transgender issues, with Cammy Badenoch saying she found it “difficult” to believe Ms Mordaunt’s claim that she had never been in favor of allowing people to self-determine their gender.
In an online event organized by the website ConservativeHome, Mrs Truss promised to reverse the planned rise in corporation tax, roll back the rise in National Insurance and remove the green levy from energy bills – which will cost the Treasury more than £30bn .
It was reported on Friday that Mrs Truss is also considering plans to offer families tax relief of up to £2,500.
She told the Daily Mail that she plans to immediately overhaul the tax system if she wins the leadership race to “ensure that people are not penalized for taking time out to look after their children or elderly relatives”.
In the second round of voting on Thursday, Mr Sunack led with 101 votes from Tory MPs, followed by Ms Mordaunt with 83, Ms Truss with 64, Ms Badenoch with 49 and Mr Tugendhat with 32.
In her interview, Ms Mordaunt rejected attacks by critics – including Lord Frost, who is now backing Ms Truss – about her record as a minister.
She has held eight ministerial posts: Communities Minister, Armed Forces Minister, Disability Minister, International Development Secretary, Women and Equality Minister, Defense Minister, Chief of Staff and Trade Minister, the role she now holds.
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