Focus on growth not fiscal discipline, Kwasi Kwarteng tells Treasury

Chancellor suggests change of emphasis is needed after he sacked top civil servant whom he credited for tight control of spending

UK Treasury officials have been told to refocus on annual growth of 2.5% rather than prioritising fiscal discipline in a call with the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng.

The prime minister, Liz Truss, promised a return to the economic growth target for the UK of 2.5% a year during her campaign for the Conservative party leadership, a level which has not been consistently met since before the 2008 banking crisis.