Nadine Dorries has accused Liz Truss of “throwing your chancellor under a bus” after she appeared to blame Kwasi Kwarteng for the row over tax cuts for the rich.
The prime minister insisted it was Kwarteng’s decision to abolish the 45p rate paid by those earning more than £150,000 a year.
She also revealed that the controversial decision - which contributed to the turmoil which hit the UK economy in the wake of Kwarteng’s mini-budget - was taken without the cabinet being consulted.
However, Truss rejected calls by Tory MPs for government to U-turn.
Asked on the BBC this morning if she was sticking to the decision to axe the 45p rate, the PM said: “Yes, and it is part of an overall package of making our tax system simpler and lower.”
Truss said the 45p rate “actually raises very little and makes our tax system more complicated”.
Asked if the whole cabinet had been consulted, the PM said: “No, no we didn’t. It was a decision that the chancellor made.”
Responding on Twitter, Dorries - a close ally of Boris Johnson who chose to leave the cabinet after Truss took over - said: “One of Boris Johnson’s faults was that he could sometimes be too loyal and he got that. However, there is a balance and throwing your chancellor under a bus on the first day of conference really isn’t it.”
In a further sign of Tory splits, Michael Gove this morning savaged Kwarteng’s mini-budget and suggested he would vote against it when it comes to parliament.