Michael Gove has called for a tax cut before the next general election – putting him at odds with the chancellor on the first day of Conservative Party conference.
Jeremy Hunt told The Times newspaper on Saturday the government was “not in a position to talk about tax cuts at all”, and needed to focus on getting to a place in the economy where ministers could “credibly” offer reductions before making offers to voters.
Politics hub: Tory conference kicks off in Manchester
But speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the levelling up secretary said he would “like to see the tax burden reduced by the next election”.
And Mr Gove said he would like to see the cuts fall on work to “incentivise people to work harder”, adding: “And we should make sure that they are better rewarded for the enterprise, effort and endeavour they put in.”
His remarks come as Tory party members gather in Manchester for their annual conference, and as more than 30 Tory MPs – including former prime minister Liz Truss and ex-home secretary Dame Priti Patel – sign a pledge to not back any further tax hikes.
Ms Truss, whose unfunded tax cuts in her mini budget last year triggered market turmoil, took to X – formally known as Twitter – on Friday to say: “We should always seek to reduce the tax burden, especially when there’s so much pressure on family budgets.”
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