Ms Truss told reporters at a factory near Norfolk that tax cuts and boosting energy supplies were key to tackling the cost of living crisis. But she added that, if elected, her chancellor would consider “what else needs to be done” in a future budget. Earlier, Mr Sunak told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme: “Of course, I would always support a Conservative government. Of course I would, of course. “I have a lot of faith in the Conservative Party and I want it to do well and always, whether as a minister or as a supporter, I will always support a Conservative government because I think that’s the best thing for this country.” In a Facebook Live Q&A on Thursday, shortly before the BBC interview, Mr Sunak had also insisted he was the right person to unite the Conservatives, insisting his party was a “broad church” and its MPs they weren’t just ‘robots’. On Thursday night Liz Truss promised to “take on” so-called “Treasury orthodoxy” which means money is funneled into areas that have already seen big investment in an apparent nod to Mr Sunak. Speaking at the penultimate leadership gathering in Norwich, hosted by TalkTV, he said: “I would level up in a conservative way, creating low tax investment zones where local communities want them, driving business, growth and investment. “And I will also take on the orthodoxy of the Treasury, the rules that currently mean that more investment goes to areas that already have the investment.”
“I would question the characterization”
He also hit back at suggestions he could quit politics if he doesn’t win the campaign when asked about comments made by Dominic Cummings, a former senior adviser to Boris Johnson, that his interview with The Spectator: “reads like a man whose epic bad campaign has melted his mind and he is ready to give up politics”. On whether he would resign if he lost the leadership vote, Mr Sunak said: “Absolutely not. Of course not. “And I would question the characterization. I’m working incredibly hard, going all over the country talking about my ideas for the future, and I’m actually getting a very positive reception where I go, and I think there’s everything left to play for. “There are still weeks to run in this campaign so I’m continuing to give it everything I’ve got.”
