The Liz Truss plan means lower salaries for civil servants in the poorest areas

Liz Truss last night revealed plans to reduce salaries of public sector workers - including teachers and nurses - outside the wealthy south east in a bid to save £11billion. Labor said the idea would spell the end of the government's 'race up' agenda by widening the regional income gap.

The Tory leadership frontrunner presented her plan as a 'War on Whitehall Trash' which will also see civil service leave entitlements curtailed.

But she has been forced to admit she should replace national pay deals with regional rewards for all public sector workers over a period of several years.

< p>The Foreign Minister's proposal for regional wage commissions to set wages according to the local cost of living has sparked the fury of unions.

In a face-off warning with Whitehall if she takes over from Boris Johnson on September 5, the civil service union PCS said she could expect "an opposition at each stage of the process up".

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And Labor accused her of 'declaring war on herself with her fanciful recipe for leveling herself'.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner said Ms Truss' plans would result in "a race to the bottom on wages and rights for public sector workers".

> Ms Rayner warned: "His 'tailored' compensation plans would level the pay of northerners, aggravating the divide that already exists. This out of touch government's commitment to leveling up is dead."

The row came as Ms Truss' campaign to take over 10 Downing Street won a major boost with the endorsement of third candidate Penny Mordaunt.< /p>

And a poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies suggested she could beat Sir Keir Starmer in a general election, with 37% opting for Ms Truss as top PM against 36% for the Labor leader.Faced with a choice between Rishi Sunak and Starmer, those polled were split 40-33 in favor of Sir Keir.

Ms Truss initially promised to save up to £8.8billion a year by 'adjusting' civil servants' salaries to match the cost of living in the areas they work.

But aid has been forced ...