Tory leadership hustings – Birmingham: Liz Truss confirms she will allow new grammar schools

Sunak cannot say he will cancel HS2 but says that the company behind HS2 will be held to account to minimise disruption, adding that it’s “not fair” and that as Prime Minister he will correct harm done to communities impacted by the build.

Sunak will “turbo charge” energy security and efficiency meaning under his leadership millions of homes would benefit from loft and cavity wall insulation, saving people up to £400 off bills. Adding that he will “create an innovative economy to create small modular reactors to power homes in a cleaner, cheaper way.”

“Would your government be more honest than the one we have?” asks audience member. “Yes, that’s why I left the government” Sunak responds, adding that he will appoint an ethics advisor that will have “power and responsibilities to hold people to account.”

Rishi Sunak says patients will pay penalties if they miss medical appointments if he becomes prime minister. Fines will encourage people to cancel appointments in advance and free up time for those in need. “If we get it right, we free up tonnes of extra healthcare and will get the backlogs down quicker,” he adds.

Sunak offers condolences to the family of nine-year-old girl, Olivia Pratt-Korbel, shot dead in Liverpool, saying the police must be focused on the right things, use their time effectively and harness the best techniques available, including increasing stop and search measures, which Sunak claims is a “very effective policing tool”. Adding that he will “never let political correctness stand in the way of keeping the country safe”.

Thatcher was the “greatest post-war prime minister” who was prepared to “make difficult decisions when she had to, to say the things people didn’t want to hear, and that’s the standard I hold myself to”, says Sunak.

Sunak says he “takes collective responsibility seriously” and that he could not serve in a Truss cabinet as he has “had a period of being at odds with his leader” and “won’t do it again”.

Sunak says he has made a U-turn on cutting VAT as there “aren’t that many levers that you can pull to offer support that will actually work”, adding that “it’s not perfect” but that he will deal with the “practical reality of the situation in a way that will make a difference to people in a few weeks’ time”.

“The right thing in these financial circumstances is for a compassionate Conservative government to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our society,” says Sunak, before adding that he will cut VAT and provide direct financial assistance to those most in need over autumn and winter.

“Faced with the task of using Trident nuclear weapons, unleashing global annihilation, how do you feel?” asks the chair. “It’s an important duty of the prime minister and I’m ready to do it,” concludes Truss.

Truss confirms she will bring back grammar schools

Schools opening for longer hours and youth clubs will help young people by “offering alternative places to be”, making them less likely to “fall prey to gangs or go off in the wrong direction”, says Truss.

Truss says people working on the frontline of the NHS are feeling “disempowered” and increasing numbers of people are leaving the profession. “We put the extra £13bn in but people working in the NHS say the lack of local decision making and the layers that must be tackled to get things done is the real problem, rather than a lack of funding.”

“Parents with children with special educational needs deserve help,” says Truss, as she plans to introduce family hubs and more support in schools. She admits the current government has created a nightmare for parents who have no choice but to “battle the system”.

Truss will reverse the national insurance increase and will conduct a full tax review looking at business rates to create a fairer economy for small businesses. “The combination of forms that business are required to fill in and the hoops they’re required to jump through” will be “cracked down on” under a Truss leadership.

Truss says there is an issue with the “culture” in public services that doesn’t reflect the views of the public, adding that she will be the prime minister to ensure single sex spaces are protected. “Sometimes as Conservatives we have been afraid to make Conservative arguments.” Truss says Tories have let the left “dominate the social space” and that she is prepared to be “difficult” in order to “get things done”.

“What would you do for tenants and landlords?” asks an audience member. “I want to help more people who have been renting to get on to the property ladder.” Truss wants tenants to be able to use their rental history to obtain mortgages in an effort to “help more people own their own home”.

Truss declines to appoint ethics adviser