Mrs Truss, the Tory frontbencher, has ruled out handouts to help households cope with the worst income squeeze for 60 years. However, her rival Rishi Sunak hit back and said, “We have to realize this situation. “It is simply wrong to rule out further direct support at this time, as Liz Truss has done, and furthermore her tax proposals are not going to do much to help people like pensioners or those on low incomes, which are exactly the kind of families that will they need help.” He also said he would “go further” than the support of up to £1,200 for people he announced as chancellor if he becomes prime minister once there is “certainty about exactly what the bills will be in the autumn”. During a campaign visit to the West Midlands on Saturday, Ms Truss hit out at her opponent’s economic legacy, blaming it for the expected recession. The Foreign Secretary told reporters: “Under the current plans, what we know is that Britain is headed for recession. “This is not inevitable, but we must avoid it by ensuring that our economy is competitive, that we encourage business to grow and that we keep taxes low.” “Having the highest taxes in 70 years is not going to deliver that economic growth and is driving our country into recession.” Image: Liz Truss at an event at Solihull Moors FC Tax cuts could fuel inflation – forecast to reach 13% Earlier this week, in an interview with the Financial Times, Mrs Truss insisted she would press ahead with the tax cuts, despite claims they would fuel inflation – already forecast to hit 13%. Asked how she intended to help households facing soaring energy bills this winter, she insisted the answer was tax cuts and supply-side reforms. Former Bank of England deputy governor Charles Bean told Sky News that Ms Truss’ plans were “not very well targeted in terms of dealing with the people who are most affected” by rising energy prices. He added: “The existing package put in place by the previous chancellor Rishi Sunak was more consciously targeted towards the poorest households and I think it’s pretty clear that any fiscal maneuvering we have at the moment should be directed primarily towards them and not more broadly.” Image: Liz Truss speaks to the media at an event at Solihull Moors FC Tory voters are moving behind Truss Ms Truss has a seven-point lead as best prime minister over Rishi Sunak (27% to 20%) and a 26-point lead among Conservative voters in 2019 (48% to 22%). Research by Opinium found across the board the 2019 Tories are more positive about Ms Truss than two weeks ago and more negative about Mr Sunak. A third of all voters (34%) think the government should keep taxes and spending on public services about where they are now, while 26% think there should be an increase in both. Image: Rishi Sunak meets the Isle of Wight Conservatives Frontrunner denies video leak Liz Truss refused to say whether her campaign was involved in the leaking of a video of Rishi Sunak talking about trying to divert funding from deprived urban areas to more prosperous cities. The Tory leadership candidate was asked during a visit to the West Midlands if her team had anything to do with the leak of her rival’s controversial comments. He told reporters: “I’m running a positive campaign. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:25 Sunak took money from poor areas “My campaign is about how we unlock Britain’s potential, how we get the economy going in these difficult times, how we invest in fantastic places like the West Midlands.” Speaking in Southampton after a visit to the Isle of Wight today, Mr Sunak said he was “standing[s] with absolutely” what he said, citing the island as an example of a community that feels it is not getting the support it needs under the funding formula.