Rishi Sunak unveils controversial plan to BAN homes from being built in green belt countryside in bid to woo back Tory heartlands despite the UK's housing crisis as the leadership rivals face their first test in front of party members TONIGHT

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Rishi Sunak today vowed to ban the building of new homes in the countryside as he prepares to face Liz Truss in the Tory leadership contenders' first grilling from party members.

In a move that appeared designed to appeal to shire Tories, he said that if he wins he will outlaw building in 'green belt' areas - specially designated rural locations that prevent urban sprawl.

Instead he pledged to have a policy that was 'be 'brownfield, brownfield, brownfield' - only allowing development of areas that have already been built on.

But it comes as the UK faces a massive shortfall in housing with warnings that throttled demand and soaring prices are forcing an entire generation into renting for life.

Mr Sunak said: 'Green belt land is extremely precious in the UK. Over the last few years we've seen too many examples of local councils circumventing the views of residents by taking land out of the green belt for development, but I will put a stop to it.

'Under my plans, if a local community has clearly judged a development to be inappropriate there are no circumstances in which planning permission should be granted.

'More homes can be built while protecting the green belt and our most precious landscapes.'

Ms Truss, who was raised in Leeds, last night attempted to woo northern Tories with a pledge to build new high speed rail in the region.

She vowed to implement the Northern Powerhouse Rail plan that would spend billions on a high-speed link between Liverpool and Leeds, via Manchester and Bradford. 

The plan to link major northern cities was shelved by Boris Johnson last year. 

In a move that appeared designed to appeal to shire Tories, he said that if he wins he will outlaw building in ''green belt' areas - specially designated rural locations that prevent urban sprawl.

But it comes as the UK faces a massive shortfall in housing with warnings that throttled demand and soaring prices are forcing an entire generation into renting for life.

Ms Truss, who was raised in Leeds, last night attempted to woo northern Tories with a pledge to build new high speed rail in the region.

The premier was accused of giving his crucial Red Wall voters 'scraps off the table' after the HS3 line was axed in November.

Speaking to the Northern Agenda politics newsletter, Ms Truss said: 'I want to build an aspiration nation that unleashes opportunity for all, no matter where you live or where you grow up. We need to drive growth and business investment to bring new and better jobs to the North.

'We will build the Northern Powerhouse Rail to link up communities and unlock potential across the North. That's how we will bring better jobs to the North and address productivity.'

And peaking to reporters in Leeds today she added: "I grew up in Leeds, I know how poor the transport is and frankly, it's not got much better since I was a teenager getting the bus into Leeds city centre.

"What I want to see is really fantastic rail services, better roads so people are able to get into work.'

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, which campaigns for more funding for the north, said: 'The outgoing Prime Minister broke his promises to the north when he published the Integrated Rail Plan.

'This would bring back government support for the original Northern Powerhouse vision of a single travel to work area across the Pennines, driving up productivity to secure growth for UK plc.

'Whoever becomes the next Prime Minister should build the new line from Manchester, connecting the Airport, through to Bradford with services across to Leeds.'

The premier was accused of giving his crucial Red Wall voters 'scraps off the table' after the HS3 line was axed in November.

Tax and spending are likely to be key points of contention tonight as the hopefuls begin their summer tour of the country, taking questions from party members who will ultimately decide who gets the keys to No 10 in September.

Other potential topics up for debate include immigration, identity politics, Brexit, defence, climate change and the NHS.

Mr Sunak will seek to regain his footing after he was accused of 'flip-flopping' on his fiscal policy, as he pledged to temporarily slash VAT on energy bills despite repeatedly branding Ms Truss's tax-cutting plans as 'comforting fairy tales'.

He said he would remove VAT from domestic energy bills for a year if the price cap, currently just under £2,000 a year for the average home, exceeds £3,000 as is forecast by experts.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Secretary said she welcomed the pledge but challenged her rival to 'do more' and reverse the national insurance rise.

She said during a visit to Romford: 'I welcome the fact that he is now saying that we should cut taxes because that's what we need to do.

'I'd like to see more. I'd like to see him commit to going and reversing the national insurance rise because that national insurance rise has hit families in the pocket.'

Mr Sunak had rejected calls for a VAT cut to energy bills in February, telling the Commons 'there would be no guarantee that suppliers would pass on the discounts to all customers'.

Meanwhile, in a video clip on Twitter, the former chancellor said he had 'another great day' campaigning in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

He told his followers: 'We have been talking about everything on people's minds, tackling the cost of living, how we realise the benefits of Brexit.'

Former chief whip Mark Harper, who is supporting Mr Sunak, defended the ex-chancellor's decision to announce his pledge to cut VAT at this stage in the contest.

Asked why Mr Sunak did not open his campaign with those plans, he told BBC Newsnight: 'He's announced it because it looks like the energy price cap may rise higher by several hundred pounds than we had thought it would.

'And he's always said very consistently, that if he needed to do more, he would.

'And he's announced this particular policy now partly so that those people listening to this programme at home will have some peace of mind that if he were elected prime minister that actually he is always going to have their back in the same way he did during the pandemic.'

Later, Mr Sunak announced plans to make 'downblousing' a criminal offence, as part of a major crackdown on sex offenders, to protect women and girls.

Ms Truss has also promised to introduce a standalone offence to criminalise street harassment, and a national domestic abuse register.

The hustings is the first of 12 for Tory members to quiz the final two candidates before voting closes on September 2, and will be a key moment for the pair to shore up support for their campaigns, following bitter clashes over policy.

The event will be held in Leeds, with Ms Truss expected to meet voters in the city in the morning.

It comes as mayors from across the North of England have written to the two contenders to express concerns about the Government's plans for northern transport.

Andy Burnham, Tracy Brabin, Steve Rotheram, Oliver Coppard and Jamie Driscoll called on the winning candidate to meet with them to agree a 'better way forward for the North'.

'This is a critical decision that will affect the lives of generations of Northerners to come. We owe it to them to show the highest possible ambition for what the North of England can be in the future,' they wrote.