By Ben Kerrigan-
Michael Gove has launched a scathing attack against prime minister, Liz Truss, condemning as “not Conservative” her tax cuts fund from borrowing , labelling it a betrayal of the party’s one nation 2019 election manifesto.
Mr. Gove indicated the likelihood that
the tax cuts in parliament, before embarking on a string of similarly damning fringe appearances at the Conservative Conference
Warnings from the Conservative party chair, Jake Berry, that MPs who voted against the fiscal measures would lose the Tory whip, have not deterred all bench benchers from voting against the move. So far, 12 Mps have supported it. Michael Gove’s expressed opposition to the prime minister’s decision to scrap the top rate of tax and cap on banker’s bonuses also has the potential to spark a growing backbench rebellion.
The 2019 manifesto was “a one nation majority” that must be respected, Gove said: “People wanted Brexit done but they also wanted levelling up. They wanted a Conservative government that was dedicated to improving the lives of those who hadn’t necessarily been traditional Conservative voters, and certainly were not among the wealthiest in society. And we’ve got to stay true to that tradition.”
In an early morning appearance on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Gove said he backed moves to limit energy bills, but the fact that 35% of additional borrowing in the fiscal statement went on unfunded tax cuts left him “profoundly” concerned.
“There are two major things that are problematic with the fiscal event,” he said. “The first is the sheer risk of using borrowed money to fund tax cuts. That is not Conservative. The second thing is the decision to cut the 45p rate, and indeed at the same time to change the law on how bankers are paid in the City of London.
“Ultimately, at a time when people are suffering … when you have additional billions of pounds in play, to have a principal decision, the headline tax move, cutting tax for the wealthiest, that is a display of the wrong values.”
Pressed earlier on whether he would vote against the package in the Commons, Gove eventually told Kuenssberg: “I don’t believe it’s right.”
However, as both the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and Truss insisting they will stand by the poli
cy, Gove said he was “going to have a conversation within the party and the country” about what to do next.
At a later fringe event, hosted by the Onward thinktank, Gove said it was “not in the best Conservative traditions” to fund such large-scale tax cuts with borrowing.
He said: “Millionaires will gain by tens of thousands of pounds as a result of these tax cuts – and people on average and below-average incomes will not, and that I think is the wrong priority.”
However, he said her gamble could work, joking: “If I’m proven wrong, then Liz will not only have grown the pie, she will also have ensured that there is a massive humble pie that I will have to eat.”