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‘I’m the outsider’: Sunak turns on Truss as speech in Thatcher’s birthplace
Rishi Sunak gave a speech at Margaret Thatcher’s birthplace Grantham in Lincolnshire.
Nominally his campaign launch, he talks about Liz Truss and how the “powers that be” want her “coronated”.
He said: “All the evidence is clear, I am the only person who can beat Labour. I am the only candidate who can protect the union and I am the only candidate who can keep Brexit safe.
“Today begins my campaign with the party members. My campaign will represent the best of conservative values. I will do my best to win every vote, but make no doubt, I am the underdog.
“The powers that be want this to be a coronation for the other candidate. But I think members want a choice and they’re willing to listen and in the coming days they’ll see that I’m not just proposing change… I’m proposing hopefully we can be better.”
After topping the vote among MPs, Mr Sunak insists that when his wife’s tax affairs came to light, he was written off as a candidate for the leadership.
Mr Sunak says it shows he can “bring people together”.
He also stressed that he supported Brexit while Mrs Truss did not, criticized her economic promises and argued that she was best placed to defeat Labor in a general election.
Mr Sunak said: “If we are to deliver on the Brexit promise then we will need someone who really understands Brexit, believes in Brexit and voted for Brexit.”
Asked if Mrs Truss’ plan to cut taxes and increase borrowing was wrong, the former chancellor said: “I really believe it’s the wrong approach for the government at this moment to borrow tens and tens and tens of billions of pounds more at a time when inflation is rising near double digits and interest rates are already rising.
“The risk of doing that is making the situation worse. Anyone with a mortgage – here and there watching – would have to pay hundreds if not thousands of pounds more because of the impact this would have on interest rates.
“And besides, I don’t believe it’s moral either. I’m a conservative because I was brought up to believe that… you earn what you need for your spending.”
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