Liz Truss plan to cut £11bn in Whitehall waste ‘ludicrous’

Unions and experts attack Tory leadership candidate's proposals for civil service savings

Liz Truss has been accused of making ludicrous" claims as she vowed to cut civil service salaries and reduce expenditure to recoup 11bn a year in a war on Whitehall waste" if she becomes prime minister.

But the Conservative leadership hopeful's campaign, which received another boost with the backing of Penny Mordaunt on Monday, was forced to redo some of its sums within hours of releasing a series of proposals to reduce the cost of the civil service.