The problem for the Tories is if they ditch Truss, they will be forced into a GE (they shouldn't have to be forced but it may come to that). At this stage, a GE would have to take place in December which won't go down well with anyone. It will cause more uncertainty for people and businesses.
They may have to leave Truss there as a lame duck until the new year (or have someone else take over temporarily but that would most likely be political suicide). Regardless of whether Truss stays on or not, the UK could spend half this year without a functioning government.
Jeremy Hunt would be a curious appointment - for no other reason than he isn't in the current Cabinet at any level. Not considered good enough for a role as SoS for Something Minor 38 days ago, now Chancellor. It doesn't make any sense, so probably it's true.
Shes trying to pull the party together by engaging the other wing of the party because the rumours are senior party members are trying to pull together a cross faction cabinet to replace her and stabilise things. It wont work.
Hunt was a remainer, and is also not tarnished by any association with Johnson's government. Neither are insignificant facts IMO.
He also backed Sunak.
It's going to be Groundhog Day.......
Only someone as desperate as Hunt would accept such a poisoned chalice
Kwasi’s resignation letter is very generous. Almost as if someone else wrote it…..
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-finance-minister-kwasi-kwartengs-resignation-letter-2022-10-14/
The letter from the PM thanking Kwasi Kwarteng is signed by Kwasi Kwarteng. We are now in "The Thick Of It" territory.
And Hunt it is...
Jeremy Hunt appointed new chancellor
Former foreign secretary and Conservative leadership contender Jeremy Hunt has been appointed chancellor, Downing Street said.
I’d say she is going to come under some considerable attack now from those libertarians who were coming out to defend her and the budget since the conference.
Who is going to come out to bat for her in the weekend’s rounds?
And, as an aside, I’d love to see the interactions at cabinet between Hunt and Braverman and the others
The Institute for Economic Affairs can't be happy today!
Not a reassuring statement by Truss. Don’t think it’ll be liked. Basically nothing wrong with the plan. Just a bit too fast. And medium term fiscal plans will stay on course. Determined to see it through etc etc
and just goes on and on about energy at every opportunity. She sounds completely out of her depth
it’ll all be about the questions
Truss's letter and Kwarteng's letter contradict each other.
Kwarteng says she asked him to step down, she says she regrets the decision he made today.
Thats because she's a lying toad.
Theres no way in this earthly World that Kwasi Kwarteng made a unilateral decision to resign. Zero percent chance.
Less than 24 hours ago he said to a camera that he was going nowhere, she absolutely pushed him
Could you imagine f**king around in Ireland with corporation tax, the way they have been in Britain:
1) Truss in her campaign hustings says her philosophy is to leave the rate at 19% to boost stability and growth
2) Kwarteng announces his mini budget (that hasn't been reviewed by the OBR) and says 'in general we are out of kilter with Ireland' and in the same breath wants to raise the CT rate to 25% (!!!!! Wtf lads???)
3) Truss behind the scenes says 'hmm, don't like that, we'll u-turn and scrap that'
4) SACKS KWARTENG BUT U-TURNS ON HER F**KING U-TURN AND RAISES THE CT RATE TO 25% ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!! 😂😂😂
5) Brexit Britain, struggling for growth and investment, now has among the highest CT rates in the developed World, alongside Japan and Australia
GOODDDD JOOOOOOBBBBB TRUSSSYYYYY 😱😱😱
(now lets see what the gilt markets and the FTSE make of it. Monday, in particular, could be carnage)
Christ I cant believe Nadine Dorries is the voice of reason in the tory whatsapp groups right now
This might be the only time, ever, myself and Nadine bloody Dorries find ourselves on the same side of thinking; imposing yet another PM on the country would be democratically repugnant - and electoral suicide. As she says, the press alone would slam them - with perhaps even the Red Tops struggling to look the other way.
Interviews on Times radio with former supporters are excoriating. “Thought she was made of sterner stuff”, “we’re a laughing stock”, “just appeasing people who won’t make tough decisions”
it’s just remarkable to listen to. She’s lost everyone
From Wales online:
It's a joke. I mentioned David Cameron's dig about a coalition of chaos from 2015 but this is like some grotesque parody of what they think the Labour party is. The currency is in tatters, fuel poverty is about to explode and they're playing silly beggars and u-turning so much they're revolving.
An utter travesty of a government and that's including Cameron and his referenda solve everything approach.
The press conference has created more questions. That was an opportunity to reset, to appear bold and decisive and in charge (none of it real of course). This was her big play. Sacrifice Kwasi and use it to stabilise her position.
Instead, she gives a terrible performance and then takes only 4 questions. 8 mins. One of the biggest political stories, firing a CX is massive, and yet again she appears to have no plan, and no idea.
Iain Macleod died in offie, so don’t think he should count…..
Zahawi only has the stupidity long limbo of the Tory hustings saving his blushes.
He did nuttin.
You would have to be a complete moron to think she was ever made of "stern stuff"
Some of them also took the job months before an election like Gaitskell for instance.
A list of sacked CX would be a much starker graph I would imagine.
The UK has not had a functioning government for years now
The letter from No 10 to Kwasi confirming the sacking was signed by........
Kwasi Kwarteng!!
There are not superlatives that are mocking enough......
Jeremy Hunt might finally achieve his dream of becoming PM
And there was me slagging off the "Do nothing, don't suggest any meaningful and let Tories self destruct" policy Starmer has followed.
In the wacky world of local by-elections though, the Tories made huge gains to take a county council seat in Leicestershire from Labour. No idea why, and the electorate probably don't either.
That press conference was one of the worst I have seen by any politician.
Truss kept just repeating the same line ‘This decisive decision in the national interest, at this time when the economy…’
This answer was given every question she was asked, there were some audible groans from the journalists as she stormed off. It was really poor no admission of responsibility at all.
This one isn't a mistake:
Just about the brightest spot on Truss' day - "We actually didn't make a balls-up of the layout of a letter, score one for us"
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