Thatcher ministers turn on Liz Truss over tax cut plans

Chris Patten, Norman Lamont and Malcolm Rifkind warn former PM would never have approved borrowing to fund 30bn cuts

Tory grandees who served in Margaret Thatcher's final cabinet have warned that the former prime minister would never have approved of Liz Truss's plan to slash 30bn off taxes funded by borrowing, as Rishi Sunak denounced his opponent's plans as immoral".

With a bitter row over tax emerging as the defining issue in the race to succeed Boris Johnson, three members of Thatcher's cabinet told the Observer that she would have taken a dim view of slashing taxes at a time of high inflation.This follows repeated claims that Truss has attempted to model herself on Thatcher in her attempt to win the leadership, which she has denied.