Heath attacks tax cuts

Sir Edward Heath, the former Tory prime minister, unleashed a stinging attack on William Hague's leadership.

Sir Edward Heath, the former Tory prime minister, unleashed a stinging attack on William Hague's leadership.

Sir Edward accused the Conservative leader of producing policies "out of the blue" to cut fuel tax and raise pensions and questioned whether they could really be afforded.

He said the party was wrong to emphasise tax cuts at the expense of increased spending on health and cast doubt on Mr Hague's claims that the Tories were now a "One Nation" party. "What people are saying is that he suddenly produces these policies out of the blue...and of course then people aren't impressed," Sir Edward told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4.

"They say you are just making it up on the spur of the moment ... That is a very dangerous technique to follow."

Sir Edward said that Mr Hague still had to show that he would, as he had claimed, govern in the interests of all of the British people.