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PM still wants to reduce 45p rate of tax, but ‘it’s not a priority’

By Nick Gutteridge POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT

‘I listened to what people had to say, my colleagues and the public, and we have changed our policy’

LIZ TRUSS has hinted she may still look to scrap the top 45p rate of tax in future, insisting there was “absolutely no shame” in reversing her position on the policy.

The Prime Minister “would like to see” the rate for the highest bracket of income tax lowered, but acknowledged that doing so “wasn’t a priority” now.

In a series of interviews with broadcasters yesterday Ms Truss defended her volte face over the plan after it led to a revolt among Tory MPS.

She insisted it was “a relatively minor part of our growth package” compared with the wider 1p income tax cut and the £60billion energy price cap.

Asked if she still thought axing the 45p tariff on those who earn more than £150,000 was a good idea, Ms Truss replied: “I would like to see the higher rate lower.

“I want us to be a competitive country, but I have listened to feedback. I want to take people with me,” she told the

BBC. “Yes, we are going to have to make tough decisions. Yes, we’re going into a tough winter. Yes, times are difficult.”

Ms Truss said the row over the 45p rate had become a “distraction from the major policies” contained in the minibudget, including the energy price cap.

“I listened to what people had to say, both my parliamentary colleagues but also to the public, and we have changed our policy as a result,” she said.

“I felt it was wrong to allow that distraction to continue from the major parts of our package because that is not a reflection of what my priorities are.”

Ms Truss insisted she is “not contemplating” reviving the plan “now”, and said that “the 45p wasn’t a priority policy” for her Government.

“I think there’s absolutely no shame in a leader listening to people and responding, and that’s the kind of person I am,” she told Sky News.

The remarks came as the party’s conference in Birmingham descended into chaos and bitter infighting over her decision to backtrack on her tax pledge.

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, accused backbench MPS of launching a “coup” against the Prime Minister by forcing her to about-turn.

“We should be supporting her and I am very disappointed, to say the least, about how some of my colleagues have behaved,” she told Chopper’s Politics Podcast.

But her remarks infuriated Tory backbenchers, who had campaigned to get No10 to drop the policy.

“Doing what we believe to be right for our constituents is not ‘a coup’ or unprofessional,” said Steve Double, the Tory MP for St Austell and Newquay.

“It’s called doing our job as backbench MPS. If this is the approach the Cabinet take we are in for a bumpy time.”

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https://dailytelegraph.pressreader.com/article/281646784029043

Daily Telegraph