Liz Truss has rejected calls for her to sit down with Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson to agree an emergency package to help people with the soaring cost of living.
The foreign secretary said the idea was “bizarre”, despite warnings that energy bills could hit £4,200 a year from January.
Business group the CBI has called for the prime minister and the two contenders to replace him to “come together to agree a common pledge to support people”.
Asked about the suggestion at a hustings event in Darlington last night, Truss said her focus in government is on her role as foreign secretary.
She said the PM and chancellor Nadhim Zahawi are “capable people, capable of making these decisions” and added: “This kangaroo committee you’re proposing sounds bizarre.”
Truss also repeated her insistence that her priority as prime minister would be to cut taxes rather than for the government to give people “handouts” to help pay their bills.
She said: ” I understand people are struggling with their bills on fuel and food but the first thing we should do as Conservatives is help people have more of their own money.
“What I don’t support is taking money off people in tax and then giving it back to them in handouts. That to me is Gordon Brown economics.”
Sunak told the same hustings event that he would be willing to sit down with his rival and the prime minister.
But he added: “If you only want to help these people with tax cuts – I’m struggling to see how it’s possible.
“So we can get in a room all you want, but at the end of the day that policy is not going to work.
“So if you can get Liz to change her mind on that when she talks to you I’m very happy to get in the room and we can hammer this out.”
The former chancellor said he would provide direct help to the most vulnerable households if he becomes PM.