Lord Frost warns that the Conservatives cannot continue to propose the same taxation and zero net income policy as Labour.

Speaking to a right-wing think tank, Lord Frost expressed dismay that Downing Street appeared to be resigned to a handover to Sir Keir Starmer. : Tolga Akmen/Shutterstock

Lord Frost has warned that Rishi Sunak should stop offering voters virtually the same policies as Labor on high taxes, net zero and immigration.

Former Brexit negotiator says that the Tories would lose. next election unless the prime minister takes a more conservative approach.

In a speech to a right-wing think tank, Lord Frost urged Mr. Sunak to fight back by cutting taxes and government spending to where they were New Labour, and setting aside zero net income.

He alerted Mr. Sunak. that «to be firm in the hope that people will turn against Keir Starmer is not good enough.»

«I'm not interested in the seeming current Conservative Party mentality: let's lose big and then decide what to do,» he said. «If we want to prove that tax increases, net zero increases and migration increases under the Labor Party are bad for the country, we ourselves must stop proposing such a version.»

The Conservative peer, who plans to run as MP in the next election, called for a long-term plan to renew the UK economy and increase productivity.

He praised Sunak's focus on fighting inflation, but added: «My problem is not what government does and what it doesn't do through supply reform. There is a huge dysfunction in the economy, a huge imbalance. Its production capacity has been reduced to nothing. Here's what needs to be changed.»

His remarks came as senior Conservative MPs warned Mr. Sunak not to try to provoke a recession to bring down inflation . Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, said he would be pleased that the UK was leaning towards negative growth if that would send prices down.

Craig McKinley, Conservative MP for South Thanet, said this attitude is «the wrong orthodox view» and he is «very worried about where we are going.»

«Economic growth should be the main ambition government. We seem to be overlooking it,» he told The Telegraph. «The next logical step would be that we don't dare to cut taxes to give people money in their own pockets because that could be seen as inflationary.» dangerous place. We need to think about it again.”

Sir Simon Clark, former Development Secretary, also urged Mr. Sunak to return to the growth focus championed by Liz Truss.

“ With mortgage rates now higher than last fall, inflation has been relatively more resilient, and people's quality of life has fallen in real terms, I do think the case for her urgent supply-side reform program is more important than ever. ”, he said.

“So we are building the houses we need, the energy infrastructure we need, and unlocking the economic growth we need.”