At Conservative leadership meetings in Birmingham on Tuesday night, Truss refused to answer directly whether she would appoint someone to the role, instead saying she would “make sure there is the right mechanism for people to complain”. The previous ethics adviser, Christopher Guide, resigned in June after admitting the prime minister may have breached the ministerial code over the Partygate scandal. After being pressed several times on the issue of a new ethics counsel, Truss said, “I think one of the problems we have in this country in the way we approach things is that we have a lot of consultants and independent agencies and rules and regulations. “For me it’s about understanding the difference between right and wrong, and I’m someone who has always acted with integrity […] and that’s what I would do as prime minister.” During the introductions, hosted by Time Radio, Truss also gave her support for more grammar schools and said she would redirect money from the health and social care levy away from the NHS and into social care. Rishi Sunak, her opponent for No 10, proposed cutting UK aid programs to countries that refused to accept deportations of “failed asylum seekers” to Britain. He said emergency humanitarian aid would remain but “ongoing country aid programs that we’ve had for years” would be withdrawn. Sunak also warned that “millions of people will face the risk of destitution” if more is not done to help them with their energy bills this winter. The former chancellor hit out at Truss’ policies, saying: “I think the unfunded tax cuts are wrong and you know what? [Margaret Thatcher’s] Chancellor Nigel Lawson agrees with me, the head of her policy unit agrees with me, Norman Lamont agrees with me.” “I think it will be a moral failure of the Conservative government and I don’t think the British people will ever forgive us,” he added. Truss defended herself against accusations that her financial proposals were dangerous, arguing against what she called “Treasury orthodoxy”. The Foreign Secretary told the audience of Tory MPs: “All this language of ‘unfunded’ tax cuts implies the static model, the so-called abacus economy that has been promoted by the Treasury orthodoxy for years but has not worked in our economy because What we have ended up with is high taxation, high spending and low growth. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “This is not a sustainable model for Britain’s future.” Both candidates commented on the death of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was killed in a shooting in Liverpool on Monday night. Truss said “there is a serious problem in this country with gun crime” and would introduce police league tables if elected, while Sunak said he called his family to speak to his daughter when he first heard time for the shooting. “I thought: ‘She was nine, she’s the same age as my youngest daughter,’” the former chancellor said. “Horrible. I called my wife and talked to my daughter.” He added that he would “end up putting 20,000 more” police officers on the streets to fight crime.
