LIZ: LET'S UNLEASH POWER OF LONDON

TRUSS PROMISES BOLD ACTION TO BOOST ECONOMY AND TACKLE CRIME | Last-ditch pleas on final day of campaign

- Nicholas Cecil

LIZ TRUSS vowed today to get London's economy "firing on all cylinders" if she becomes Prime Minister next week.

She hailed the capital as key to driving the nation through the economic storm with sky-rocketing energy bills in the autumn. Amid fears that the city is losing funding due to the Government's levelling-up agenda, she also insisted she would be "London's strongest champion".

As the economic clouds over Britain were darkening, Ms Truss, writing in the Standard, said: "London has long been the engine of our economy. When Londoners thrive, the rest of our United Kingdom thrives too."

She added: "I know some of the most deprived areas in the country are found in the capital. So I will take bold action to get London's economy firing on all cylinders through tax cuts, bold reform and removing regulation that stifles business."

She also unleashed a stinging attack on Mayor Sadiq Khan, highlighting the level of knife crime in the capital. She slammed the "militant trade unions grinding London to a halt" and the "shocking violence" against women and girls.

Supporters of Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak, her rival to be Tory leader, were issuing last-minute appeals to Conservative members to back their candidate, with voting in the contest due to end at 5pm today.

The winner will be announced shortly after midday on Monday and is due to become Prime Minister on Tuesday. If Ms Truss becomes Britain's 78th Prime Minister, she is expected to hit the ground running, with a wave of announcements in the first few weeks.