IT would be reckless to cut taxes without the economy on a sound footing, a prominent Tory MP has said.

Andrew Bowie, a Rishi Sunak backer, also took aim at Downing Street hopefuls that are promising tax cuts if they get into office.

In an interview on GB News Mr Bowie told Tom Harwood that the ex-Chancellor was right to concentrate on bringing down inflation before considering tax cuts.

“Norman Lamont, one of the most transformative chancellors in recent history, agrees with Rishi Sunak’s plan,” he said.

“If you read William Hague in the Times this morning, he suggested Margaret Thatcher herself would be casting a very suspicious eye over some of the plans to cut tax bills by the other candidates.

“Rishi is a serious, competent challenger for this position. He has delivered as Chancellor of the Exchequer, he has a serious plan to deal with inflation and to get us to a place where we can cut taxes.”

“By raising the national insurance thresholds, he’s actually taken £330 pounds off tax bills for most people in this country anyway, so to say that he’s not a tax cutting Conservatives is frankly, ludicrous.

“He is but we can go further when we’ve got the economy under control.”

Mr Bowie was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Boris Johnson but became a vocal critic of him after the publication of the Sue Gray report into Partygate.

He said Mr Sunak had already done much to ease the cost of living crisis by reducing energy bills by introducing a rebate, cutting Council Tax bills and National Insurance thresholds.

“We took a lot of action at the beginning of this year to deal with the cost of living situation that was facing people in this country and we will do more.

“We can’t go further and recklessly cut taxes when we haven’t got the basis of a sound economy on which to do that.

“And that’s why I really feel like he’s my candidate for leader because he’s the only one with a serious plan to get us to that stage.”

He added: “He’s the only one with a plan to tackle inflation the only one that plan to grow the economy so that you can ultimately get in position to cut taxes and has been tested in the heat of the Coronavirus pandemic, leading our financial response, saving 11 million jobs for the furlough scheme.

“I think that that gives him exactly the platform that we need for somebody to go on and become a great Prime Minister and that’s why I’m backing him to become leader of the Conservative party today.”