But Lib Dems say foreign secretary has had no physical meetings with ministerial counterparts or foreign ambassadors for over six weeks
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Liz Truss has vowed to “take on” the so-called “Treasury orthodoxy” under which money is handed to areas already heavily invested – in an apparent swipe at Rishi Sunak.
Mr Sunak and Ms Truss faced yet another grilling from Tory party members as they tried to win votes to become the next leader and prime minister.
But both candidates have faced sharp criticism.
Ms Truss was accused of abandoning her duties as foreign secretary, having been absent from nearly all of her ministerial duties since she joined the Conservative leadership race nearly seven weeks ago, according to the Lib Dems.
And scientists hit back at Mr Sunak over his suggestion it was a “mistake” to empower experts during the coronavirus pandemic, in a series of claims labelled “dangerous rubbish” by former No 10 aide Dominic Cummings.
The ex-chancellor told the Spectator magazine that he “wasn’t allowed to talk about the trade-off” of lockdowns during the early phases of the Covid crisis, which he said could have been “quicker”, and claimed to have fought against the “fear narrative” which drove public messaging.
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Ms Truss vowed to “take on” the so-called “Treasury orthodoxy” that means money is funnelled into areas already heavily invested in an apparent swipe at Rishi Sunak.
She said: “I would level up in a Conservative way, by setting up low tax investment zones where local communities want them, driving business, growth and investment.
“And I’ll also take on the Treasury orthodoxy, the rules that currently mean that more investment goes into areas that already have the investment.”
Boris Johnson would make a better PM than Sunak, Liz Truss said.
When asked the equivalent question, Mr Sunak said Ms Truss would be preferable to Mr Johnson.
On fixing the NHS, Ms Truss said she would fundamentally change the culture of top-heavy management and review doctors’ pensions.
“It’s not about the money – it’s about the culture,” she said.
Professionals had said there was waste, she insisted.
On law and order, Ms Truss said she would introduce league tables of how long police forces spent on the beat and tackling crime to reveal more of what police were doing.
She also said she supported stop-and-search.
Defending the policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda, she said she would legislate to ensure the ECHR could not overrule the UK.
Liz Truss said she supported fracking and exploiting North Sea gas reserves to become more energy-independent.
Asked how she would help businesses facing rising energy bills, she said on nuclear the more quickly the UK started, the sooner it would come on stream.
She supported more incentives for local people to decide whether they wanted new homes and infrastructure.
Asked whether she would drop the net zero target, Ms Truss said she supported it by 2050 but also using gas as a transition fuel and building the UK’s energy independence.
Mr Sunak said achieving net zero carbon emissions was not about punishing anyone, and he was confident he could build an economy that rewarded innovation and technology to achieve net zero.
Mr Sunak said Ms Truss would make a better prime minister than Boris Johnson.
In a quick-fire Q-and-A he said it was important to look forwards, not back.
Asked about the shooting in Liverpool of a nine-year-old girl, Mr Sunak said more police were needed on the streets.
Stop-and-search worked but was held back by ideology, he insisted.
“I will never let political correctness stand in the way of keeping you and your family safe,” he pledged.
Mr Sunak reiterated promises to cut Vat on energy bills and target extra support to the worst off and pensioners, attacking Liz Truss’s tax-cut plans that would not benefit pensioners.
Under questioning, he refused to abandon the UK’s net-zero carbon policy.
He said innovation was key to reducing emissions such as small modular reactors while also reducing bills and creating jobs.
Abandoning net zero would be a major mistake, he said.
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