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Liz Truss announcing her retirement
Photo: Henry Nicholls / REUTERS
Liz Truss' 49-day tenure as Prime Minister of Great Britain last autumn could not have been more chaotic.
Truss has now publicly commented on her resignation for the first time.
In a guest article in the Sunday Telegraph, the Conservatives justify their policies – and largely deny any guilt.
"When I entered Downing Street, I assumed that my mandate would be respected and accepted," writes Truss.
"How wrong I was."
Truss was forced to leave office last October after her economic plans caused the British pound to plummet.
When she stopped the project of tax breaks for the rich, she lost a lot of support in her party and the population and finally resigned.
Truss blames politics, the media and the public
There is no detailed apology for the government chaos in the guest post.
Instead, Truss writes, "I'm not claiming that I'm not at fault, but basically I was not given a realistic chance to impose my policies by a very powerful business establishment combined with a lack of political support."
The ex-Prime Minister is confident that her policy would have boosted growth in the medium term and thus reduced debt.
But people simply didn't get it: "Large parts of the media and the public were no longer familiar with the main arguments of fiscal and economic policy, and over time the mood shifted to the left," writes Truss.
Her government had to take the blame: "Unfortunately, the government became a welcome scapegoat for problems that had been brewing for several months."
She underestimated the resistance to her political program - from leftists as well as from Tory colleagues and players in international markets.
Business Secretary Shapps disagrees with Truss
Her party rival Grant Shapps, whom Truss hired as home secretary in hopes of staying in power in the autumn, told the BBC on Sunday in response to the op-ed that everyone wants lower taxes.
The current government - in which Shapps is economy minister - must first focus on reducing debt, lowering inflation and boosting growth.
Truss also wrote in the post that last fall's experiences were "painful" for her personally.
Truss was shortest in office than any other British Prime Minister.
Truss is currently an MP in the British House of Commons for the South West Norfolk constituency.
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