Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi has warned restive Tory MPs that “dither or delay will end in defeat” as he appealed for unity just over a month after Liz Truss took office.
Speaking to Sky News, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster stressed the need for party colleagues to “focus” on delivery or face being kicked out of power.
Mr Zahawi’s comments follow a rocky start for the new prime minister, bruised by the financial turmoil unleashed with the government’s mini-budget, sparking opposition claims it had “crashed the economy”.
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s tax-cutting plans funded by borrowing saw the pound plunge in value against the dollar, forcing the Bank of England to intervene and restore stability.
The government subsequently climbed down on plans to abolish the top rate of tax for the highest earners in the face of a blue-on-blue backlash.
But fresh divisions have now emerged in cabinet with calls to increase benefits in line with inflation.
Conservative MPs…
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