Jeremy Hunt resists calls from ‘depressed’ Tory MPs to commit to tax cuts

Jeremy Hunt has resisted calls from ‘depressed’ Conservative MPs to commit to cutting taxes.

The chancellor has repeatedly warned his first priority is to get sky high inflation under control.

And he joked that he was “quaking” as he arrived for a grilling by backbench MPs in his own party after desperate economic forecasts led to renewed calls for cuts to stimulate growth.

The International Monetary Fund’s warning that Britain will be the only major economy to plunge into recession this year sent shockwaves among some Conservative MPs.

But Mr Hunt said “nothing” when confronted with calls for tax cuts during the meeting, one of those present said.

Edward Leigh told reporters after the gathering: “My view is you can’t wait until the general election.

“(Tory MPs) are depressed. You’ve got to give them hope. You’ve got to say: ‘We made the right decisions in September, therefore that’s given me room in this budget to cut taxes, whether it’s corporation, personal or fuel’.

“That was my point anyway. But, obviously, he is not going to comment now… but he got the message.”

Another MP, David Simmonds, said Mr Hunt had spoken about the planned reduction in business rates due in April and described the meeting as “very positive, actually”.

During the session the chancellor also told MPs he did not know whether he would hike fuel duty in next month’s Budget yet, saying he would have to wait and “see what the finances are at the time”, according to another Conservative MP, former minister Jonathan Gullis.