A key Liz Truss ally today refused NINE times to say if she will give so-called “handouts” to the poorest to deal with this winter’s cost-of-living catastrophe.
In a toe-curling interview, Brandon Lewis defended the favourite for next PM after she was accused of a U-turn over cash payments to Brits.
Tory leadership frontrunner Ms Truss sparked chaos on the weekend by saying: “The way I would do things is in a Conservative way of lowering the tax burden, not giving out handouts".
Rishi Sunak blasted her for ruling out cash payments - while experts predict bills will stay above £3,000 a year until at least 2024.
Panicking Ms Truss then staged a partial U-turn, with ally Penny Mordaunt insisting she would look at “further things we can do” and her remarks had been “misinterpreted”.
But today another Truss ally, Brandon Lewis, repeatedly refused to say if those “further things” will include cost-of-living payments, like the £400 coming to all households in October.
Mr Lewis told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “She also said we will look to do whatever we can to help people - that's what an emergency budget is about.
"She's (Ms Truss) willing to do more to help people but her focus is around doing it in a way that puts more money in people's pockets, creates a high-growth economy with higher wages, more people in work.
"So rather than having handouts, what we do is have a low-tax economy that's driving growth."
Asked if an emergency budget would include “handouts”, he replied: “The principle behind that will be about ensuring people have more money in their pockets.”
Asked the same question again, he replied: “She wants to look at what she can do.”
Asked the same question again, he replied: “It is based on a principle of having a low tax economy, which means people are better placed to deal with these challenges.”
Asked the question a ninth time, he admitted: “That would be pre-judging a budget we’ve not had yet.”
It came as Gordon Brown called for the COBRA emergency committee to sit in “permanent session” to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
Pointing to October when energy costs are due to rocket again, he warned of a race against time to funnel help to the most needy.
Experts fear the energy price cap could climb by up to 65% - lifting typical bills to £3,240 a year.
Ex-PM Mr Brown wrote in the Mirror: “Thirty-five million people in 13.5m households are under threat of fuel poverty in October - that’s an unprecedented 49.6% of the United Kingdom.
“We need a fourth Budget of the year; it’s essential to fill the gaps left by the third."
Rishi Sunak supporter Oliver Dowden said the underdog will make more cost-of-living payments if he becomes PM, telling Sky: “I’m sure that further action will also be required.”
But Mr Dowden added: “We need to be realistic and honest with people about the scale of the challenge that we're facing.
"Both with the scale of inflation that's coming down the line, something we haven't seen for almost 40 years and with the fact that energy bills are going to go up, possibly towards £4,000.
"I would say though I don't take enormous lessons from Gordon Brown, remember this was a man who gave us a 75p rise for pensioners, so he's not really got a great record on this sort of thing.”
Mr Lewis said Liz Truss ’s plan was a “high wage, high growth economy, more people in work and more money in their pockets with lower tax”.
Mr Lewis said Liz Truss would temporarily suspend green levies on energy bills and rush through a cut to National Insurance, reversing Rishi Sunak’s rise.
But Mr Sunak today accused his rival of giving a “big bung” to the better off as the National Insurance cut will save minimum wage workers only £59 a year.
Around 160,000 Tory members are voting between Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak for the next Prime Minister, with the winner entering No10 on September 6.
The two candidates will clash in a hustings in Darlington on Tuesday after Ms Truss spends time in Essex and Mr Sunak visits the north west of England today.
