Liz Truss brought her campaign to become Prime Minister to Dorset.

She met supporters and members of South Dorset Conservatives at a leadership rally at Athelhampton House near Dorchester.

The whistle-stop visit came during Ms Truss's UK tour of Tory heartlands to garner support in the Conservative leadership race against Rishi Sunak.

West Dorset MP Chris Loder introduced the foreign secretary to members of the party at the event.

She later emerged to take some questions from the media and to pose for photos with supporters.

The visit to the area came on the same day Ms Truss embarrassingly U-turned on her leadership policy pitch to 'wage war on Whitehall waste' by introducing regional pay boards to set salaries for civil servants, reflecting where they lived.

She said: "I’m afraid that my policy on this has been misrepresented. I never had any intention of changing the terms and conditions of teachers and nurses.

“But what I want to be clear about is I will not be going ahead with the regional pay boards. That is no longer my policy.”

When she was later asked if it was a mistake of judgement, she said: "I don't want to worry people, I don't want them to be concerned. We will not be going ahead with regional pay.

"I'm honest and upfront and clear on that."

The former Trade Secretary and MP for South West Norfolk also met a young supporter and said she had previously enjoyed holidaying in the county on a break in Swanage.

Ms Truss pledged support for householders facing spiralling energy bills this winter.

She said: "We're facing a very very serious crisis. As Prime Minister I would take immediate action on reducing green levies on energy bills. I will work very hard with the private sector to help deal with this crisis.

"I understand families are suffering with costs and I will do all I can to help them."

When Ms Truss was asked about the difficulties faced by first-time home buyers in Dorset, she said: "I want to help people in rural areas get on the housing ladder. I want the rents that people are paying to contribute to them getting a mortgage."

She added that she wants to 'get rid of top down housing policy dictated by Whitehall.'

Among the supporters at the rally was Dorset councillor Louis O'Leary, who represents Littlemoor and Preston.

He said: "I'm supporting Liz because she's a proper Conservative. We need good government and I think she can provide it."