Kwasi Kwarteng, defiant in the defence of his plan, vowed to “get Britain moving” by unleashing the UK’s potential, tearing down EU bureaucracy and lowering tax burdens.
He told Tory members it had been a “tough” day after being forced to backtrack on his plan to scrap the top 45p rate of income tax due to backbencher outrage.
Mr Kwarteng stated that he had changed his mind after hearing the party’s outpouring of rage, but that it was now “time to get on with it and deliver.”
The Spelthorne MP defended his tax-cut plans, claiming that believing it is right for Britons to keep more of their money is “not radical, isn’t irresponsible.”
Standing firm on his plan to get 2.5 per cent growth, he told those gathered at the party’s annual conference in Birmingham: “It has been tough but we need to focus on the job at hand.
He added: “While we all believe in growth, we as Conservatives also believe that it is an important principle that people should keep more of the money they earn.
“I don’t need to tell you that. That isn’t radical, that isn’t irresponsible. It is a deeply held belief that we all share as Conservatives.
“We were faced with a 70-year high tax burden. We were confronted with low growth and the path we were on was clearly unsustainable. So that’s why we’re cutting taxes for working people.”
He added that only his party could be trusted to get the country back on its feet, attempting to draw a clear line between the Conservatives and Labour.
“Last week, we saw a Labour Party with the same old ideas: re-nationalisation, empty slogans, no plan for growth,” he said as Prime Minister Liz Truss listened from the front row.
“We have challenges to face but our plan will take this country forward, we will get Britain moving, we will deliver lower taxes for you and your family, and we will grow our economy.
“That is what the public expect from the Government.”