Cutting wasteful government spending is the only way to grow Britain's economy, Penny Mordaunt has said privately. In a leaked recording obtained by LBC, the Commons leader and Tory candidate told activists that the state is too big and Government is trying to do too many things.The top Tory - who many expect to run for leadership if the party loses the election - said she wanted to see ministers slash public spending in a bid to grow the economy.
She said: “We've always protected certain budgets - defence and the schools budget and things to do with our national security."But everything else we have got to get more productive in.”It comes after the Institute for Fiscal Studies accused both parties of a "conspiracy of silence" over refusing to say where cuts may fall.The current government spending has billions of pounds worth of spending cuts baked in, for whoever wins the general election.