Rishi Sunak has brushed off questions about his predecessor Liz Truss stealing the limelight at the Conservative party conference.

The short-lived prime minister, whose fall from office paved the way for Mr Sunak to enter Number 10, was greeted by lengthy queues when she appeared in Manchester on Monday to call for tax cuts to “make Britain grow again”.

The Truss-aligned Conservative Growth Group is said to have the support of 60 MPs, a sizeable chunk of the parliamentary party and enough to threaten Mr Sunak’s majority in the Commons.

Ms Truss has not been shy about calling for the Government to change course in a bid to boost growth, urging Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to cut corporation tax to at least 19% and to slash Government spending.

But Mr Sunak appeared unconcerned on Tuesday about the apparent popularity of his former leadership rival.

Asked on Times Radio if it worried him, he said: “No, not at all.

“Lots of Conservatives here. I think the mood is great.

“People are excited about the things we’re doing.”