RISHI Sunak will today warn Prime Minister Boris Johnson he must make difficult and unpopular decisions if he wants to cut taxes.
In a dig at his boss, the Chancellor will say Britain cannot have sky-high spending without paying for it.
He will try to reassure mutinous Tory MPs worried about the direction of the party that he “firmly believes in lower taxes”.
But drawing a line in the sand between him and the PM, he will suggest it is only possible if spending is reined in.
Delivering a speech in the City of London, he will say: “I am going to deliver a lower tax economy, but I am going to do so in a responsible way and in a way that tackles our long term challenges.
“I am disheartened when I hear the flippant claim ‘tax cuts always pay for themselves’. They do not.
“Cutting tax sustainably requires hard work, prioritisation and willingness to make difficult and often unpopular arguments elsewhere.”
His comments come amid a Tory row over the £12billion-a-year National Insurance hike this April.
The cash is being used to help clear the NHS pandemic backlog and will then go towards social care.
The PM wanted to borrow to raise the £12billion, but Mr Sunak insisted the money had to come from taxes.
It has left Britain with the highest tax burden since the 1950s.
Many furious Tories fear the party has lost its way.
Mr Sunak — who is eyeing a leadership bid if Boris is toppled — will try to reassure them he is a champion of free trade.
