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<\/p>\nFears were raised that Rishi Sunak has ‘already checked out’ today after Tories warned that the King’s Speech lacked ‘big ideas’.<\/p>\n
The PM laid out his Parliamentary agenda for the coming year yesterday insisting the country had ‘turned the corner’ and it was time to build a ‘brighter future’.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the crackdown on crime, limited easing of the Net Zero ‘burden’ and phased ban on cigarette sales underwhelmed many Conservatives with a general election looming.<\/p>\n
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt\u00a0is now facing a mounting clamour to bring forward eye-catching tax cuts at the Autumn Statement on November 22, with concerns that could be the last opportunity to avoid an election disaster.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Hunt has been playing down the prospects of a big shift to stop taxes reaching new post-war highs, warning the public finances are already stretched and it could fuel inflation.<\/p>\n
However, economists have suggested that he does have some wriggle-room after tax revenues came in higher than anticipated and borrowing slightly lower.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rishi Sunak laid out his Parliamentary agenda for the coming year yesterday insisting the country had ‘turned the corner’ and it was time to build a ‘brighter future’<\/p>\n
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The Tories have been consistently trailing Labour by double-digits in polls\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Sunak tried to go on the attack during the Commons debate on King’s Speech yesterday, saying Labour would bring ‘higher inflation, more strikes, more immigration and higher borrowing’.<\/p>\n
‘The Labour Party’s plan to unnecessarily borrow \u00a328billion more every year and give in to inflation-busting pay demands from its union paymasters is dangerous, inflationary, and the British people would pay the price in higher interest rates and higher taxes,’ he said.<\/p>\n
He warned that Sir Keir’s ‘naive’ plan to ban new exploration for oil and gas would leave the UK ‘more dependent on Putin’s Russia’, adding: ‘What’s even more absurd is that he is not against all oil and gas \u2013 he’s just against British oil and gas.<\/p>\n
‘They want to pursue Net Zero with ideological zeal \u2013 we are cutting the cost of Net Zero for working people.’<\/p>\n
Sir Keir described the King’s Speech package as a ‘missed opportunity’ and said that Mr Sunak’s bid to present himself as the candidate of change was ‘desperate’.<\/p>\n
Some Tory MPs warned privately that the speech lacked a big, voter-friendly proposal \u2013 and said it would increase pressure on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to bring in tax cuts before the election.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One minister said: ‘It’s all right as far as it goes, but where are the big ideas? We are miles behind [in the polls] \u2013 we should be throwing everything at it. It sometimes feels like No 10 has given up.’<\/p>\n
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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is now facing a mounting clamour to bring forward eye-catching tax cuts at the Autumn Statement on November 22<\/p>\n
A former Cabinet minister told MailOnline there were ‘no big ideas’. ‘Still banging on about AI, which may be important but is hardly the basis of a strong retail offer to voters,’ they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The MP warned that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement\u00a0in a fortnight must be ‘better’ and include tax cuts. ‘We need some pro-growth measures,’ they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A minister who attended a drinks event with Mr Sunak in No10 on Monday told The Times: ‘It felt like he’d already checked out, his wheelie was at the door and he was pottering around for his final hours, looking forward to a few foreign sightseeing trips.’<\/p>\n