Truss’s plans to slash VAT are ‘regressive and flawed’, says Sunak’s team

Conservative leadership candidates clash over how to tackle cost of living crisis as contest enters final week

Liz Truss's plans to tackle the cost of living crisis by slashing VAT across the board will do little to help those struggling to pay food bills and benefit richer households substantially more, Rishi Sunak's team has claimed.

The frontrunner in the Conservative leadership race was accused of considering a regressive" and flawed" move that could cost the exchequer up to 38bn a year, while the government faces calls to offer more support with rising energy costs.