We need to stop taxing and banning things, says Liz Truss

"Lets stop taxing and banning things," former Prime Minister Liz Truss has said, at her return to the Conservative Party conference.

Addressing a supportive audience, she called for corporation tax cuts, fracking and the building of 500,000 new homes in England every year.

And she said politicians were keener on "protecting newts" than changing rules making it easier to build.

Ms Truss quit as PM after 44 days, having lost the support of her own MPs.

Since stepping down she has continued to defend the decisions she made while in office, expressing views - such as the need for immediate tax cuts - which put her in conflict with her successor Rishi Sunak.

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Mr Sunak has declined to say if taxes will be cut before the next election and said his focus is on cutting inflation. His chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruled out tax cuts this year.

However, Ms Truss's speech calling for tax cuts got a warm reception from the Tory faithful who fought to get into the packed-out event.

The audience included former cabinet ministers Dame Priti Patel and Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, as well as former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who was welcomed by the Tory audience.

Mr Farage said: "She's absolutely right on the big stuff - I'm slightly sceptical on the housing.

"This is a battle for ideas, it's a rejection of her own party's policies, but it's really a battle for what the party becomes after it loses the next election."

There was also a big cheer when event chair, journalist Liam Halligan, noted that Ms Truss had been "elected" to lead the Conservative Party "unlike the current prime minister".

Ms Truss used her speech to reiterate her call to cut corporation tax - something she had tried to do last year but was forced to u-turn on in a bid to calm the markets.

"Businesses shouldn't be a cash cow to be milked," she said adding that companies - such as AstraZeneca - were choosing not to locate in the UK because of high taxes.

She also argued that the UK should emulate the US by embracing fracking.

This, she said, would help "deliver cheap energy bills".

On housing, the former prime minister said the country hadn't "built enough homes" and blamed an abundance of regulation.

The government had previously pledged to build 300,000 new homes a year- but Ms Truss said this should be ramped up to 500,000.

To reach this target, she said local areas should be offered tax breaks in exchange for getting rid of "red tape".

In a bid to rally party members, Ms Truss said that her case might be "unpopular" and difficult to make" but urged the audience to "unleash their inner Conservative".

"Let's stop taxing and banning things. Let's build things and make things."

Concluding her speech she paraphrased the former US President Donald Trump with the message to "make Britain grow again".