Liz Truss has launched a fresh attack on Rishi Sunak as the Tory civil war erupted once more.
The former prime minister - who was one of dozens of Conservative MPs to lose their seats in the general election - accused her successor of “trashing my record” during his 18 months as prime minister.
It is the latest salvo in the ongoing feud between the pair, which dates back to the Tory leadership contest two years ago, in which she beat him.
Sunak ended up taking over from Truss after her 49 days in No.10 led to economic turmoil caused by the disastrous mini-Budget.
However, his attempts to repair the damage she caused ended in disaster when the Tories slumped to their worst ever election result and Labour won a 174-seat landslide.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Truss said: “Sunak and his allies had sought a short-term advantage in the Conservative leadership contest by claiming that cutting taxes did not generate growth.
“This abandonment of Conservative principles not only led to him getting no credit from the voters for cutting National Insurance but also led to an even larger general election defeat as he continued to trash my record and promote Labour’s false narrative that the global rise in mortgage rates was somehow my fault.
“During the election campaign, I refrained from responding to prevent further damage to the party. However, I feel that I must speak out now.
More than 250 of us paid the electoral price for this. Regrettably, over the course of the next five years, it will be the British people who have to bear the cost of this failing. Because under Labour, the problems are only going to get worse.”
Sunak has announced that he is quitting as Tory leader, but it is not yet known how long he will hang on in the job as party bosses have yet to decide how his successor will be elected.
