Liz Truss has said tax cuts that favour the rich are “fair” and promised only vague action on energy bills in a week’s time. Truss is the racing certainty to be declared the new Conservative leader and Prime Minister on Monday but has still to say how she would deliver help on the winter energy crisis.
She told the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that she was focused on growth and tax cuts but would not be drawn on specifics of what action she would take to help people with energy bills. Truss said “inevitably” tax cuts benefit the wealthiest more as they pay the most tax.
Calculations show that Truss’s planned reversal of a recent rise in national insurance would benefit top earners by around £1,800 and the lowest earner by about £7 a year.
Asked by Kuennsberg if it was fair that wealthiest people get more back in a tax cut, Truss replied: “Yes, it is fair”. She added: “To look at everything through the lens of redistribution is wrong. What I’m about is growing the economy because that benefits everybody.”
Truss said she would act on issues related to the cost of energy within one week if she becomes Prime Minister. Asked if the UK is at a crisis point, Truss said: “I think we face some very, very serious challenges.”
“We face very serious challenges, which will take immediate action from the Government,” she added. Pressed on what action she will take, Truss said she would act within one week. She insisted she was “not being coy” about her plans on energy bills.
She told Kuenssberg: “What I’ve been very clear about is that I would act immediately within a week. I understand what people are facing on energy bills. If I’m elected as Prime Minister, within one week, I will make sure there is an announcement on how we are going to deal with the issue of energy bills and of long-term supply to put this country on the right footing for winter.”
She added: “What I want to reassure people is I will act, if elected as Prime Minister, within one week.”
“Now what I can’t do, Laura, on this show, is tell you exactly what that announcement would be. We still don’t know the outcome of this leadership contest. So, it would be completely wrong.”
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