Sunak accuses Truss of plans that would add fuel to the flames of the recession

Rishi Sunak has accused Liz Truss of economic plans that pay "fuel on the fire" just hours after the Bank of England warned the UK was heading into a recession.

In a shock announcement, the BoE forecast that the economy would contract at the end of this year and continue to contract throughout 2023.

The former Chancellor, who has argued that Ms Truss' planned tax cuts are inflationary, said told a Tory leadership debate hosted by Sky News: "I fear Liz Truss' plans will make things worse."

For her part, Ms Truss insisted that a recession was not "inevitable" and reiterated his belief that his plans would drive growth.

She is widely seen as the favorite to win the keys to No.10, after a series of polls suggested she had a significant lead over her rival.

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But in a direct appeal to party members, Mr Sunak warned Cons ervatives had to 'get real and fast' because 'economy lights are flashing red and the root cause is inflation. I'm afraid Liz Truss' plans will make things worse."

He has his own plan to grow the economy, he said: "But it all starts with not making the situation worse. situation, because if we just add fuel to the fire of this spiral of inflation, all of us, all of you, are just going to end up with higher mortgage rates, savings and pensions that are eaten away, and misery for millions.

He also said that "of course" there were measures that could be taken to prevent a recession.

But he added: "That's not the tax burden that causes recession. This is simply untrue. What causes recession is inflation.

Mr Sunak also dismissed a suggestion that he would pull out of the race "The quick answer is no, and that's because I'm fighting for something I really believe in and taking my ideas across the country,” he said. “The stakes are really high. ."

During sometimes heated exchanges with members of the public, Ms Truss was also asked to apologize for her "offensive" plan to cut ads...