Focus on growth not fiscal discipline, Kwasi Kwarteng tells Treasury

Kwarteng sacked the Treasury’s permanent secretary, Tom Scholar, in his first day in the job. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

UK Treasury officials have been told to refocus on annual growth of 2.5% rather than prioritising fiscal discipline, in a call with the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

The prime minister, Liz Truss, promised a return to the economic growth target for the UK of 2.5% a year during her campaign for the Conservative party leadership, a level that has not been consistently met since before the 2008 banking crisis.