“We hear a lot that there will be a recession,” Truss said. “I don’t think that is inevitable (…) we can create opportunities here in the UK,” the minister and a favorite of the Conservative leadership emphasized.
Truss differs from his opponents of former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak especially as to how to act in a particularly tense economic and social context, with inflation exceeding 10% and strikes in various sectors.
The head of foreign relations pledged to cut taxes immediately, rather than provide direct financial assistance to the population groups most affected by inflation, which drew criticism from Sunak and his allies.
In this controversy, Sunak received the support of Michael Gove, a leading figure in the British Conservative Party, who held several portfolios.
On Saturday, Gove accused Truss of living “away from reality” with his proposals to combat the effects of inflation.
“I am deeply concerned that the tone of the leadership debate has represented, for many, a disconnect from reality,” Goff wrote in an article published Saturday in The Times.
Gove, who served eleven years in government with three prime ministers, added that “the response to the crisis caused by the rising cost of living cannot be limited to the refusal of more financial aid and tax cuts.”
According to him, the tax cuts proposed by Truss “will benefit the rich” and large companies, to the detriment of small and riskier entrepreneurs.
Conservative activists in the UK, around 200,000, have until 2 September to elect their new leader in a mail vote.
Since the party has a parliamentary majority, the winner will take command of the executive branch and succeed Johnson, who resigned in early July, amid numerous scandals and an internal rebellion.
The result of the vote will be announced on the 5th of September.
“Writer. Analyst. Avid travel maven. Devoted twitter guru. Unapologetic pop culture expert. General zombie enthusiast.”