Former home secretary Priti Patel has accused Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng of “spending today with no thought of tomorrow” as the prime minister faces mounting criticism from senior figures within her own party.
Ms Patel, an ally of Boris Johnson, will also call on the Conservatives to regain their reputation after a torrid ten days in which the chancellor’s mini-Budget spooked markets and prompted fears of mortgage misery for millions.
In an attack on the government’s unfunded tax cuts, she said the Tories “live or die” on their economic credibility.
She told a fringe event at conference in Birmingham that the party needs to commit to sustainable public spending, comparing more borrowing to a “horror film” Blob which gets bigger and bigger.
Just hours before she is due to speak the government announced another U-turn, bringing forward the publication of its economic plans to later this month. That move came less than 24 hours after another about turn, when ministers bowed to pressure from furious Tory MPs and abandoned plans for a tax cut for the richest.
Ms Patel said: “We are spending today with no thought for tomorrow, and like the Blob in the old horror film, the more resources are absorbed today, the bigger the problem gets and the more resources it will need to eat up tomorrow.
She added: “I want to see our party regain its credibility by restoring its commitment to sustainable public spending … which is affordable today, tomorrow and for the foreseeable future.”
Her comments are another sign of Johnson allies turning their ire on Ms Truss. She secured the support of many in her drive to become Tory leader this summer. And she was praised by some of his supporters for standing by him during the partygate scandal.
But since taking office ministers have repeatedly attacked the policies of Mr Johnson’s administration.
On Monday another Johnson ally Nadine Dorries hit out at Ms Truss and suggested the prime minister should call an early general election to get a mandate for her plans. Ms Dorries said there was “widespread dismay” at the prime minister for ditching key parts of her predecessor’s agenda.
She said: “No one asked for this. C4 (Channel 4) sale, online safety, BBC licence fee review, all signed off by Cabinet all ready to go, all stopped. If Liz wants a whole new mandate, she must take to the country.”
At the weekend, she also accused Ms Truss of throwing Mr Kwarteng “under a bus”, by saying the decision to cut taxes for the wealthy had been made by the chancellor and not the cabinet.
One of Mr Johnson’s faults had been that “he could sometimes be too loyal”, she tweeted. “However, there is a balance and throwing your Chancellor under a bus on the first day of conference really isn’t it.”
Fingers crossed, she said on Sunday, “things improve and settle down from now”.
