Truss

The PM apologises for mistakes, after her chancellor tears up almost all of her tax-cutting agenda.

"I do think it is the mark of an honest politician who does say 'yes, I've made a mistake. I've addressed that mistake. "It would have been completely irresponsible for me not to act in the national interest in the way I have." In her interview, Ms Truss said she accepted responsibility for going "too far, too fast" - and she wanted to "say sorry for the mistakes that have been made". Liz Truss told the BBC's Chris Mason she was "sorry for the mistakes that have been made". "I remain committed to the vision, but we will have to deliver that in a different way," she said.

The UK newspaper front pages cover the Chancellor's tax cut reversals as Truss's fight for survival takes centre stage.

The Mail leads on Truss’s perilous position in parliament and her “grovelling apology” for economy blunders. “I do want to accept responsibility and say sorry, for the mistakes that have been made.” “We must take decisions of eye-watering difficulty,” the paper quotes Hunt’s warning to MPs. “Humiliated” the Mirror says. “Truss was warned on Monday night that she was ‘in office but not in power’”, the paper reads. The paper writes that the mini-Budget has been “dumped in a catastrophic humiliation” to the PM as one Tory says Truss has “poured petrol over everything”.

The party has a knack for reinvention – we can't let them pin it all on one unpopular leader, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones.

[boasted about raiding money](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/05/video-emerges-of-rishi-sunak-admitting-to-taking-money-from-deprived-areas) from poor urban communities in favour of rich Tory districts, who called for those who “vilify” the UK to be treated as extremists, the sort of unhinged authoritarianism you might expect from Viktor Orbán. [genius of David Cameron and George Osborne](https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/jeremy-hunt-says-david-cameron-was-a-genius-for-getting-public-to-accept-austerity)” for how they “persuaded the country to accept the most challenging cuts to public spending in our peacetime history without poll tax riots”. As chancellor, he successfully [championed lockdown sceptics](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/48-hours-in-september-when-ministers-and-scientists-split-over-covid-lockdown-vg5xbpsfx) and ensured that restrictions were delayed in autumn 2020, only for them to be imposed more harshly and for longer than might have otherwise been the case when infections spiralled out of control. This was a team effort, brought to you by Conservative party productions, by Cameroons and Eurosceptics, by Spartans and Johnsonites, from One Nation Conservatives to the European Research Group. [flagship political programme](https://twitter.com/Channel4/status/1576615492692893698) in the capacity of witness, rather than an accused in the dock. Given he agitated for corporation tax [to be slashed](https://news.sky.com/video/corporation-tax-cut-not-sexy-but-necessary-says-jeremy-hunt-as-he-discusses-conservative-leadership-bid-12649235) to an even lower level than Truss had dreamed of, how can he credibly argue he will offer a meaningful alternative to Trussonomics? [he was too slow](https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n335) to boost the NHS workforce: a euphemistic revision of how he [ignored severe NHS staff shortages](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/may/15/jeremy-hunt-ignored-nhs-staff-shortages-while-health-secretary), which left us underprepared for the pandemic. Buried by the very “markets” she once fetishised, the prime minister is terminally wounded, [fronting policies](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/17/hunt-rips-up-most-of-mini-budget-and-scales-back-energy-prices-plan) that, just days ago, she would have savaged as coming from the “anti-growth coalition”. He tuts now at economic policies recklessly defying market rules, as though it wasn’t under his economic stewardship that Britain’s [AAA-rated debt status](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/feb/23/george-osborne-britain-aaa) wasn’t stripped away. [opaquely funded rightwing thinktanks](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/23/liz-truss-power-extreme-neoliberal-thinktanks), she has now been barred from the lab itself. Let’s not forget what happened to Theresa May, who – after carelessly disposing of the Tories’ parliamentary majority – was condemned to remain in office by her own party, in the hope she’d absorb the political mortar fire otherwise directed at the Having turned her own citizens into lab rats for an experiment brewed in the boardrooms of

Ms Truss became Prime Minister after winning the Tory leadership contest on the back of promises to dramatically cut taxes, and the wholesale abandonment of the ...

“It was right that we changed policy,” she said. She added that it had been “painful” to sack her long-term friend and former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in the wake of the mini-budget market chaos, but insisted her decision was the right one. “It’s been a difficult time and I think we did an interview before I got the job and I said it was going to be tough because of the circumstances we’re facing as a country.”

Voters in Conservative Harlow respond to the reversal of the Truss budget and her future as PM.

"I don't think she's the right candidate. "Well I think it's completely unstable at the moment," he says. "I think we're in a terrible state at the moment," he said. "I don't know what to make of it really." "It's not only the government is it? I think it's time for somebody else to come in power," he says.

Mr Heappey said Ms Truss had “fronted up to her mistakes very quickly”, amid growing anger from Tory backbenchers after the mini-Budget disaster and at the ...

“Everybody is clear that 3 per cent by the end of the decade is necessary,” he told Times Radio. Mr Hunt said no spending was “off the table” for cuts. “None of the other potential candidates carry that economic credibility with them,” a Sunak ally said. But veteran Tory MP Sir Charles Walker became the latest to call on Liz Truss to quit, saying she has been “catastrophically incompetent”. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) Mr Hunt told Sky News that he believes Liz Truss will still be at No 10 this Christmas. Mr Heappey, asked if he was sorry for the scale of the tax-cutting mini-Budget mess, said: “Yes. The reality is that scale of intervention, based on borrowing … [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. I’m just so cross. I’ve just had enough.” [Penny Mordaunt](/topic/penny-mordaunt) held talks with [Rishi Sunak](/topic/rishi-sunak) last week and suggested he could be Ms Mordaunt’s chancellor as part of a “unity ticket” if Liz Truss is forced out, according to The Times.

As Liz Truss's political future hangs in the balance, Tory MPs are plotting ways to oust her.

If Labour tabled such a motion, the government should - by convention - allow time for a debate and vote in Parliament. But there is no appetite for another long and divisive leadership contest so soon after the last. And if more MPs call for her to stand down, she may jump before she is pushed. If Ms Truss doesn't resign, her cabinet could move against her with a wave of resignations, as with Boris Johnson earlier this year. Ben Wallace, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are the three names being widely discussed. Prime Minister Liz Truss's premiership is in peril, with her MPs plotting ways to oust her.

Over the summer, the Conservatives ejected Boris Johnson from power amid concerns that their party was falling behind in the polls.

She might then choose to depart of her own free will and resign. We must wait for a general election, and the timing of this election is controlled by Truss herself and unlikely to be any time soon. The public has fewer options. They are unlikely to be filled until Wednesday 19 October at the earliest. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) Not necessarily, even if this is the case. [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. As such, there is much room for speculation and zero hard evidence. So is Truss safe? This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our But if she slips further behind in the polls, you can expect the informal pressure on her to continue to mount.

New chancellor tells Commons there will be tax rises and spending cuts, as PM dodges urgent question.

The yield on 30-year gilts fell by 0.4 percentage points to 4.37%, reversing some of the increase since Kwasi Kwarteng announced Mordaunt said the prime minister was not in hiding. “That means decisions of eye-watering difficulty,” he said. That is my message to my colleagues.” One member of the 1922 executive said the group could take action this week, either by changing the rules or sending Brady to tell Truss it was over. Truss declined to appear at the dispatch box in parliament on Monday despite calls from Labour, leading one cabinet minister to clarify she was not “hiding under a desk”. “I am not against the principle of taxing profits that are genuine windfalls,” he told the Commons. In her BBC interview, Truss said she intended to stay on as prime minister. And now we need to deliver for people what we’ve said we’ll deliver. “I’m sticking around because I was elected to deliver for this country. [Conservatives](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/conservatives) into the next general election … Estimates of what it would take to achieve this range between £60bn and £72bn.

Speaking for the first time after almost all the tax cuts announced in last month's mini-budget were scrapped, the prime minister said: "I recognise we have ...

The extraordinary events have led to some Tory MPs calling for Ms Truss to go, with Sir Charles Walker telling Sky News political editor Beth Rigby: "I think her position is untenable. to help people with their energy bills to deal with the issue of high taxes, but we went too far and too fast. I've acknowledged that." She said she is "sticking around" because she was "elected to deliver for this country", adding: "I will lead the Conservatives into the next general election." I appointed a new chancellor, we have restored economic stability and fiscal discipline. "We were elected on the 2019 manifesto, and I want to go on and deliver that."

The Prime Minister said she had 'adjusted what we're doing' after the Government's fiscal plans spooked markets.

That message will be delivered to the Cabinet.” “The net result of that… Very nice to see you.” The nation also needs a Government that is honest when mistakes are made.” “To her credit she has apologised…. No department will be ring-fenced.

In a sign of the tension at the heart of government, armed forces minister James Heappey said he would resign if Ms Truss reneged on a pledge to raise ...

“She has a Mount Everest to climb I’d say,” he said. But no-one has said that three per cent is not going to happen by 2030,” he added. Asked on Sky News how many more mistakes she could afford to make, he said: “I don’t think that there’s the opportunity to make any more mistakes because the nation needs a government that is governing well and is making good decisions. The nation also needs a government that is honest when mistakes are made.” One senior Conservative MP said: “She needs to come out fighting otherwise she is gone.” That message will be delivered to the Cabinet.”

Latest updates: No 10 signals 2019 manifesto pledge is up for negotiation as PM says she is prioritising economic stability.

The idea that in this country, we are going to ankle tag someone who has not been convicted in a court of law ... “Brainless, because however valuable and useful the tax-cutting agenda is going to be, and it will be at some future point, it took Margaret nine years to get there. In a statement, it said: “The first gilt sales operation was scheduled to take place on October 31 2022 and proceed thereafter. Last year the triple lock was suspended for 2022-23 because Covid led to a freak 8% rise in earnings, as wages soared back up after the end of lockdown. Breaching an order will be a criminal offence, with a maximum penalty of up to six months in jail. Absolutely appalling, because there are plenty of existing laws that can be utilised to deal with people who specialise in making other people’s lives miserable … As I said earlier, I am not making any commitments on any individual policy areas, but every decision we take will be taken through the prism of what matters most to the most vulnerable. With Hunt looking for savings in all areas of government spending, it is not hard to see why abandoning it for a year might be tempting. Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has signalled he would resign if Truss were to abandon that pledge. Liz Truss is no longer publicly committed to defending the triple lock – the guarantee that the state pension will rise every year in line with inflation, earnings, or 2.5%, whichever is highest. Asked if Truss was still committed to the triple lock, he replied: At the Downing Street lobby briefing after cabinet, the PM’s spokesperson refused to say that Truss still feels bound by this.

Jeremy Hunt, resurrected from several political deaths, is apparently the safest pair of hands in the Tory party, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde.

[Jeremy Hunt](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/17/jeremy-hunt-latest-tory-u-turn-liz-truss) as “a safe pair of hands”, even though he was health secretary at the time of a preparedness simulation into what would happen if the UK was hit by a pandemic, and failed to draw many of the necessary lessons. This morning we learned from armed forces minister [James Heappey](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/oct/18/liz-truss-mini-budget-cabinet-backfire-conservatives-jeremy-hunt-uk-politics-latest?page=with:block-634e4c878f08a7953bbfeac6#block-634e4c878f08a7953bbfeac6) that none of them even realised Truss’s mini-budget had the potential to backfire. Though it goes without saying, of course, that no one would wish to call the matter too early. The tiny electorate who installed Truss as Tory leader did not represent the will of the people, and getting rid of her will place the next leader a full two removes from the electoral mandate won in 2019. Odd that MPs who talked of nothing but “the will of the people” for years are deafeningly quiet on the subject now. [Jeremy Hunt](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/17/new-chancellor-shreds-pms-economic-plans-in-unprecedented-u-turn) try to persuade the markets to get back together with the UK, their maddest ex. Eventually the sole remaining business in our economy will be the hipster trade in ironic [In Liz We Truss mugs](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/7-most-tory-things-weve-28140318). Of course, the key difference is that the long-term governing party is not on to a winner with this. As predicted at the time, the death of shame in public life that Boris Johnson was allowed to preside over has made it that much easier for those who come after him to act shamelessly themselves. [Britannia has been rechained](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/01/make-sure-failure-is-survivable-pms-book-reveals-pointer-to-trussonomics). [UK economy contracted](https://www.ft.com/content/f1f0a66a-fa2c-4d70-9874-8003bdb3fb53) from being 90 % the size of Germany’s to now being just 70%. The lesson of the past few years in British politics is that new lows can always be found.

The Prime Minister is seeking to shore up her authority after she sacked her former chancellor and abandoned her economic agenda.

So we will continue to deliver our agenda.” to help people with their energy bills, to deal with the issue of high taxes, but we went too far and too fast. “It was right that we changed policy. It’s right that we have a new Chancellor. But she told the BBC she is “sticking around” because she was “elected to deliver for this country”, adding: “I will lead the Conservatives into the next general election. “I wanted to act…

A new YouGov survey, conducted between 14-16 October, reveals that just 10% of Britons have a favourable impression of Truss, down from 15% in a previous ...

The prime minister is also less well-liked than the Conservative party as a whole, which has a net favourability score of -53, down from -44 in the previous poll. Labour leader Keir Starmer continues to be considerably less unpopular than his Conservative rivals, with 41% of people liking him and 46% disliking him, a net score of -5. Her current net favourability score of -51 is down 26 points since last week. His net favourability score currently sits at -36. The former prime minister’s reputation seems less tarnished than that of his successor, with almost three times as many Britons having a favourable view of Johnson (29%) as Truss. The popularity of Truss among Conservative voters also continues to plummet, with just one in five (20%) having a favourable view of their party’s leader and 71% having an unfavourable view.

Liz Truss has been warned by a senior minister that she cannot afford to make any more mistakes as she battles to stay in No 10. The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the Cabinet and is also expected to hold talks with the European Research Group ...

to help people with their energy bills, to deal with the issue of high taxes, but we went too far and too fast. “I wanted to act… Mr Heappey suggested the alternative to “rowing in behind the Prime Minister and making a success of her Government is to throw ourselves into another period of great rancour” because the idea of a unity candidate is “for the birds”. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The idea that there is somebody who could emerge and behind whom everybody in the parliamentary party and our membership unites, and the country forgets about everything that has happened for the last 15 months or so and we’re just allowed to get on with it, I just don’t think that is the case.” He said Ms Truss had “fronted up to her mistake very quickly” but “there are people in the parliamentary party who don’t want that to be the end of it”. The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the Cabinet and is also expected to hold talks with the European Research Group of Tory MPs after being forced to watch as her entire economic strategy was torn up by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Just six weeks into U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss' tenure and the political future of yet another Conservative leader looks to be in jeopardy.

"The consensus at Westminster is now that that the Prime Minister is so weak that she can do nothing without the assent of her Chancellor. [appeared to soothe investor concerns at the start of the week](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/british-pound-rises-as-new-finance-minister-brings-forward-policy-statement-to-today.html). Sacking her close ally Kwasi Kwarteng from the job has not stabilised her position in the way she had hoped," the Eurasia Group analysts said. But the odds may increase if things go from bad to worse." "The scrapping of large parts of her policy manifesto suggests she is in power in name only," Pickering said, noting it would not be a surprise if U.K. The headwinds are numerous facing the U.K. The "trickle-down economics" theory is that tax breaks and benefits for the wealthy will eventually trickle down to everyone else. "We have been here before with previous PMs. "We've got a big squeeze in real incomes and higher interest rates. The approach has been sharply criticized by U.K. [ripped up almost all the tax cuts Truss had promised](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/uks-new-finance-minister-sets-out-.html), [cut short her flagship energy policy](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/uk-pm-truss-faces-serious-pressure-to-resign-after-failed-budget.html) and made clear there would be cuts in public spending to come — something Truss said she was ["absolutely" not planning to do just last week](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/12/uk-pm-truss-says-she-will-not-cut-public-spending-to-fund-tax-cuts.html). [who lost to Truss in the recent leadership contest](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/05/liz-truss-to-become-britains-next-prime-minister-replacing-boris-johnson.html), or Hunt, "whose star seems to be rising as per his recent performance," Pickering said.