Happy Tuesday Morning.

Today’s new policy:

• Here’s a bespoke one designed for co-conspirators: Liz Truss is pledging to wage a war on Whitehall waste to save taxpayers billions. Something Guido’s campaigned on for who knows how long…
• Number one in her list of priorities is finally scrapping diversity and inclusion jobs, making sure officials actually focus on delivery
• Billions, she says, will be saved by replacing National Pay Boards with Regional Pay Boards
  • There’s some confusion over this figure, given the total civil service salary budget is around £16.5 billion
  • The press release specifies the £8.8 billion figure is “the potential savings if the system were to be adopted for all public sector workers in the long term.”
• £557 million will be saved building on the 22,000 civil servants already moved out of the capital by 2030, and scrapping their London allowances
• Truss will also rein in public sector leave entitlements, scrapping legacy Privilege Days and capping the media holiday allowance to 25 days, saving £2 billion
• The usual suspects are challenging the figures and raging. Guido thinks Liz should paint it on the side of a bus. All Tories are hearing is billions in savings from a bloated civil service.

Plus

• Liz tells The Mail she’ll scrap plans to ban buy-one-get-one-free deals in supermarkets, attacking them as nanny state plans

In other news:

• Liz Truss had another good night at Exeter’s hustings last night, though the audience seemed more pro-Rishi from the off according to hacks in the room, and he probably came out on top
• The evening’s performance was opened by her latest star endorsement, Penny Mordaunt, who said Truss is “for me is the hope candidate and that is why I am here tonight.”
• The Telegraph formally endorsed Liz
• In other surprise endorsement news, Truss receives the backing of West Midlands Metro Mayor Andy Street, setting him apart from fellow Tory Metro Mayor in Teesside Ben Houchen – a Rishi supporter
• During the husting, Liz promised to “channel the spirit of the Lionesses”
  • At the same time The Mail revealed Spice Girl Emma Bunton Geri Halliwell told her at the England match to “go for it!” 
• No doubt north of the border they’ll be talking about Liz’s statement that her approach to dealing with Sturgeon will be “ignore her… she’s an attention seeker.”

Plus

• Liz tells The Mail she’ll scrap plans to ban buy-one-get-one-free deals in supermarkets, attacking them as nanny state plans

Today’s new policy:

• N/A

In other news:

• Probably won last night’s debate
• The Telegraph claims it “was arguably Rishi Sunak’s most compelling performance of the campaign to date”
  • He even had a Cameron-esque “taking a risk, having a punt, having a go, that’s what pumps me up” moment over corporation tax
• His team have been heartened by a new poll from Techne, which suggests Liz’s lead is substantially smaller than previous polls, at just 5%

Bookies Odds (Previous in Brackets):

• Liz Truss 1/14 (NC)
• Rishi Sunak 6/1 (NC)