Tory leadership debate – live: Calls mount for ‘Fizz with Liz’ sleaze probe as rivals face new clash
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for an investigation to be launched into Liz Truss’s apparent failure to declare thousands of pounds donated to an event where she schmoozed Tory MPs in her leadership bid.
As Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak prepared for another live hustings debate, this time on Sky News, Labour appealed to the cabinet secretary.
And the Liberal Democrats wrote to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, asking her to open an investigation into the funding of a hospitality event, including champagne, attended by around a dozen Conservative MPs.
The Independent has revealed how she did not declare the thousands of pounds put towards the “Fizz with Liz” dinner, although MPs are obliged to disclose hospitality worth more than £300.
The event was paid for by club owner, multimillionaire aristocrat Robin Birley.
Ms Truss has been the front runner in the contest to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, winning the support of Sajid Javid, who said Rishi Sunak’s plan to balance the books following the economic devastation wrought by the Covid pandemic is “riskier” than her pledge to cut taxes.
