Tory turmoil amid claims of 'coup' to oust Truss

Cabinet in chaos as bitter infighting over U-turn triggers warning PM faces 'critical' 10 days

- Rowena Mason Jessica Elgot Rajeev Syal

Liz Truss's cabinet was in open warfare last night over the 45p tax U-turn and benefit cuts, with the home secretary accusing fellow Tory MPs of a coup against the prime minister.

On another chaotic day at the Conservative party conference, ministerial discipline broke down, with cabinet colleagues disagreeing over key policies and bitter infighting over the decision to scrap plans to ditch the top rate of tax.

In some of the most inflammatory remarks, Suella Braverman said she was disappointed by the U-turn - and suggested that Tory MPs were trying to overthrow Truss's government.

The home secretary was backed by Simon Clarke, the levelling up secretary, but criticised by Kemi Badenoch, the trade secretary, who said talk of a coup was "inflammatory".

Braverman appeared to be taking aim at the former cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Grant Shapps, who dominated the first day of the Birmingham event by criticising the abolition of the 45p tax rate.

Shapps suggested yesterday that Truss had 10 days to turn things around and signalled that MPs might try to remove her if polls continued to show Labour on course for a majority. While claiming he wanted Truss to succeed, he told Times Radio: "I don't think members of parliament, Conservatives, if they see the polls continue as they are, are going to sit on their hands. A way would be found to make that change."

Battle lines were also drawn over Truss's refusal to rule out saving £4bn a year by raising benefits in line with earnings rather than inflation - a real-terms cut that could cause a further squeeze on the poorest. Braverman came out strongly in favour of cuts, hitting out at what she called UK's "Benefits Street culture", saying "more stick" was required to get "a stubborn core who see welfare as the go-to option" back into work.