Can Rishi Sunak’s tax cuts help him beat Liz Truss?

New polling suggests the gap between Truss and Sunak could be closer than previously believed

Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak on the campaign trial in Hampshire last week
(Image credit: Chris J Ratcliffe - Pool/Getty Images)

Conservative leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak has promised the biggest income tax cut in 30 years, slashing the basic rate from 20% to 16% if he becomes prime minister.

The former chancellor said the tax cut would amount to a 20% reduction and pledged to deliver the change by the end of the next parliament. Sunak said the plans are part of his “radical” tax vision, although the BBC noted the policy “builds on his previously announced 1p cut to income tax in April 2024”.

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 Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.