The foreign secretary stated that removing Liz Truss would be a “catastrophically poor idea” while defending the prime minister’s economic agenda.
James Cleverly stated that the Prime Minister, who has been in power for 37 days, would stick to her plans despite dissatisfaction among Conservatives regarding tax cuts.
The fact that some people were astonished by her mini-budget, which caused market upheaval, “is not her fault,” he continued.
Ms. Truss has frequently supported last month’s planned tax cuts.
There has been concern that Conservative MPs could force Ms. Truss out of office if she does not reverse course.
However, Mr. Cleverly defended her stance, stating that a change in leadership would not bode well for the United Kingdom “politically and economically.”
Mr. Cleverly responded, “The plan is to build the economy” when asked if the administration will make any changes to win over disloyal Tories.
He maintained that increasing growth was the only way to combat the “strong and negative economic headwinds” buffeting the United Kingdom.
Mr. Cleverly stated that the administration would make “professional and tough judgments” over expenditure, adding, “We won’t be slashing public services, but some areas will see close to inflation rise.”
The mini-budget presented by Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on September 23, which featured £45 billion in tax cuts financed by borrowing, has generated turmoil in financial markets and led the Bank of England to intervene to protect pension funds.
On October 31, Mr. Kwarteng will detail how he would fund the package and decrease debt.
Ms. Truss is, however, facing mounting calls within her party to abandon all or a portion of her economic blueprint to bolster the United Kingdom’s economic position ahead of a challenging winter.
After a tumultuous session of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Ms. Truss met with Tory backbenchers, some of whom criticized her economic policies.
Robert Halfon, a Conservative Member of Parliament, allegedly accused Ms. Truss of “dismantling blue-collar conservatism,” according to sources present at the 1922 committee meeting.
He informed her that the party’s track record over the past decade included initiatives such as increasing apprenticeships and the living wage, but she had slashed taxes for millionaires and desired to reduce affordable housing and benefits.
MPs who were there reported that he received an ovation, while Ms. Truss appeared “struck” and invited him to speak with her.
As she exited the room, the prime minister remarked that the meeting had been “excellent.”
Earlier during PMQs, Ms. Truss denied she was proposing public spending cuts and instead stated that the government will focus on cutting debt “by ensuring we spend public money wisely.”
One member of parliament who supported Ms. Truss in her bid for Tory leadership stated that the Prime Minister admitted during the discussion that she could have created a stronger foundation for her recent measures.
Ms. Truss became prime minister on September 6 when Conservative Party members voted for her to be the party’s leader.
She succeeded Boris Johnson, who was driven out of office by his cabinet colleagues following a series of political scandals.
The astonishing fact is that this is only Liz Truss’s 38th day in office.
And yet, astonishingly, this prime minister and her mini-budget have been surrounded by a sense of doom for some time.
Consequently, some ask if losing one results in the loss of the other.
As a result of the collapse in authority at last week’s Conservative Party conference following the U-turn on the elimination of the highest tax rate, the government has been forced to devolve power to its backbench MPs.
There are Conservative members of parliament who believe the mini-budget may have to be sacrificed.
In the views of some, this is how you get from the mini-budget to the survival of the prime minister.
Does the prime minister become an empty vessel as a result of any subsequent about-face?
