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UK: Liz Truss fights her political end

2022-10-20T10:19:14.306Z


No British prime minister has made as many mistakes and glitches as Liz Truss in her first few weeks in office, both large and small. An overview.


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She's only been in office a few weeks, and yet Liz Truss' time as British Prime Minister could soon be over.

On Wednesday, the opposition in the British House of Commons took the Prime Minister to court.

Keir Starmer, Labor Party:

'I've got the list here: 45 percent tax cut - crossed out.

Corporate tax reduction – deleted.

20 percent tax cut – deleted.

Two-year freeze on energy prices – removed.

Tax-free shopping – deleted.

Economic credibility – deleted.

And her supposed best friend, the former finance minister – gone too.

It's all gone.

So why is she still here?'

Liz Truss, British Prime Minister:

"Mr.

Speaker, I'm a fighter, not a slacker.

I acted in the interest of the nation to ensure economic stability in the country."

Interior Secretary Suella Braverman resigned later that day.

She justified her forced resignation in a letter to Truss, which she also shared on Twitter.

In the letter, however, she also expressed serious doubts about the policies of the government under Truss.

Because you have broken key election promises.

The prime minister appointed former transport minister Grant Shapps, who until recently had been one of her opponents, to succeed him.

This second cabinet change in a few days was followed by chaotic votes in the House of Commons this Wednesday and reports of more alleged resignations.

As hard as Liz Truss fights, her government is beginning to show signs of decay.

Liz Truss only succeeded Boris Johnson in early September.

In the short time, the 47-year-old caused even more excitement than her controversial predecessor.

After a few days of political rest - the country was in mourning for the Queen - she set about the task of uniting the conservative party.

And she promised the British to boost the economy.

Liz Truss, British Prime Minister:

»I have three priorities for our economy: growth, growth and growth.«

The idea of ​​Truss and her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng: radical tax breaks should lead directly to economic growth.

How the government intended to raise the necessary £45 billion without incurring massive debts was left open.

The project turned out to be a pipe dream and failed with a bang: the pound plummeted – to its lowest level in 37 years.

Truss had to react.

Despite long protestations to the contrary, she eventually fired her close ally, Kwasi Kwarteng, and appointed former Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt as his successor.

Three days later, last Monday, Hunt went for a leisurely jog early in the morning, only to cash in completely on the Prime Minister's controversial tax plans.

Jeremy Hunt, British Chancellor of the Exchequer:

"No government can control the markets, but any government can provide clarity on the stability of public finances, and that is one of the many factors affecting how markets behave."

Again, Liz Truss had no choice: she had to apologize publicly.

Liz Truss, British Prime Minister:

'I admit we made mistakes and I'm sorry.

But I fixed the mistakes, I appointed a new finance minister, we restored economic stability and fiscal discipline.

And now I want to go ahead and do something for the people.«

Liz Truss continues to cling to her position.

But very few in Great Britain still trust her to govern the country.

O-Tones:

“I think she's just delaying the inevitable.

I think she will have to resign."

“She's never really felt at home in her job.

And I think she might know that's exactly what they were trying to do.”

'I think the longer she's in office, the greater the Labor Party's lead.

At the moment it is 36 points ahead.

So if there were an election next week, there probably wouldn't be very many Conservatives left in Parliament.

But I always voted for Labor anyway, so that’s okay.”

Even US President Joe Biden has remotely recognized that Liz Truss' economic policy decisions could be counterproductive.

Joe Biden, US President:

'The idea of ​​lowering taxes on the super-rich at a time when . . . whatever.

I don't agree with that policy, but that's for Britain to judge, not me."

180-degree U-turns, like Liz Truss's on the tax cuts, never go down well.

Party colleagues have been publicly calling for her resignation for weeks, and the discussion about possible successors or new elections has picked up speed.

Britain is wondering: how long will the prime minister stay in office?

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-10-20

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