A former Tory Treasury Minister has torn into Liz Truss for pushing "endless crazy tax cuts" and branded her U-turn on regional pay "laughable".
Lord O'Neill, who worked in the Treasury under George Osborne, gave a scathing verdict on the Tory leadership candidate's disastrous plan to pay public sector workers less in poorer areas.
Ms Truss claimed her plans had been been "misrepresented" - despite detailing them in a press release to journalists - but said she wouldn't be pressing ahead with the plan for regional pay boards.
The idea triggered a furious backlash, with Tory Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen saying he'd been left "speechless" by the proposal.
Lord O'Neill, vice chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, questioned her commitment to Boris Johnson's flagship vow to level up the country and described the row as "very disappointing".
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Laughable really, given that the guy that she’s still quite happy to align herself with signature policy was supposedly levelling up. The optics of that - Dear, dear, dear.
“I guess some kind of vague academic study might be out there, or might even be worthy of a PhD thesis, as to whether same pay for civil servants all around the country might be looked at.
“But the idea somebody that has been part of the[Boris] Johnson Cabinet would seriously suggest something like to me - I should laugh because it’s so important”.
He added: “The idea of somebody that wants to be the prime minister coming out of a Johnson government that is a sign of her commitment to levelling - I’m sorry, it’s very disappointing.”
Lord O'Neill said the idea had been mooted to fund "endless crazy tax cuts" in a pitch to a small number of Tory voters.
"One crazy idea results in another one," he said.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, who is backing Ms Truss, insisted she had never talked about "reducing the pay of the public sector workers who've been so brilliant through Covid and the work over the last few years."
Pressed on why her press release talked about the idea, he said: "The wording in there that's important is the word 'if', that was not something that was ever proposed... Liz made it very clear yesterday this is not a policy that is being taken forward."
The row over pay marked the first major error for Ms Truss, who has been steaming ahead of Rishi Sunak in the race for the Tory crown.
A new poll gave Ms Truss a massive 34 point lead over Mr Sunak in support from party members as the pair were due to go head to head at a hustings in Cardiff later.
The YouGov survey showed 60% of Tory members polled between July 29 and August 2 say they intend to vote for the Foreign Secretary, up from 49% since the period July 20 to 21 when the rivals first made the cut for the final two.
Support for Mr Sunak, the former chancellor, has dropped from 31% to 26% according to YouGov, while the rest of the 1,043 Conservative party members polled say they are undecided or will not vote.
A Truss campaign spokesperson: “We have great momentum and Liz's message of economic growth, low taxes and her ability to deliver from day one is resonating with members.
"We are not complacent and will continue to fight for every single vote. Liz is out across the country meeting as many members as possible and showing why she is the candidate who will deliver on our 2019 manifesto promises, unleash the full opportunities of Brexit and unite the Party.”
