As she dealt with a hostile opposition and the wrath of her own Conservative Party over her disastrous economic plan, British Prime Minister Liz Truss referred to herself as “a fighter and not a quitter” on Wednesday.
However, the glum expressions on the faces of Conservative lawmakers in the House of Commons showed that Truss would have a difficult time keeping her job. Truss lost a key member of her government shortly after she appeared in Parliament for Prime Minister’s Questions during a regular session.
Suella Braverman, the home secretary, resigned her position, however it wasn’t immediately apparent if she was let go or not.
Popular on the right of the current Conservative Party, Braverman is an advocate for stricter immigration laws.
After the economic package that Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng drafted alarmed financial markets when it was unveiled on September 23, Truss removed Kwarteng as her Treasury chief on Friday.
The plan’s unfunded tax cuts of £45 billion ($50 billion) roiled financial markets, devaluing the pound and driving up the cost of borrowing for the U.K. government. To stop the issue from spreading to the larger economy and jeopardising pension funds, the Bank of England was compelled to act.
Since Kwarteng’s replacement, Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt, shredded the tax-cutting package proposed by her new government less than a month ago, Truss attended her first Prime Minister’s Questions session.
In her brief time as the head of government of the United Kingdom, she apologised to Parliament and acknowledged her faults, but she argued that by altering direction, she had “accepted responsibility and made the right decisions in the sake of the country’s economic stability.”
As she spoke, opposition MPs yelled, “Resign!”
Keir Starmer, the head of the opposition Labour Party, questioned, “Why is she still here?” “I am a warrior and not a quitter,” Truss responded. In order to ensure that we have economic stability, I have acted in the national interest.
On Monday, Hunt revoked nearly all of Truss’ tax cuts as well as her signature energy programme and pledge to avoid cutting public spending. Before he releases a medium-term budget strategy on October 31, he warned the government will need to make “many unpleasant decisions” and save billions of pounds.
As the rising price of food pinched household budgets, official numbers released on Wednesday indicated that U.K. inflation increased to 10.1% in September, returning to a 40-year peak first touched in July. Despite the fact that global inflation is high due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on energy supply, polls indicate that the majority of Britons attribute the nation’s economic woes to the government.
The Conservative government is often accused by detractors of causing turmoil by changing its agenda. Less than 24 hours prior, Truss’ spokesman had stated that the government was considering scrapping the pricey commitment in order to save public spending. On Wednesday, Truss reassured retirees that pensions will continue to rise in line with inflation.
Many Conservatives now think that replacing Truss is their last chance of avoiding electoral doom because polls consistently show the Labour Party with a sizable and expanding advantage. However, she adamantly states that she is not resigning, and lawmakers disagree on how to do so.
Truss made mistakes, James Cleverly, the new foreign secretary, reminded Conservatives, adding that “mistakes happen.”
What you need to do, he advised, is acknowledge when mistakes have been made and act with humility to correct them.
Later on Wednesday, parliamentarians will vote on a Labour Party motion to prohibit fracking for shale gas, a measure that Truss recently endorsed. This will be another test for Truss.
According to whips for the Conservative Party, the vote would be viewed as “a motion of confidence in the administration,” which would result in the resignation of the government and the calling of an election. That is improbable given the Conservatives’ majority of 70 or more, but the vote will be closely scrutinised for indications of discontent with Truss’ leadership.
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The prime minister was “not resigning,” according to Truss’ press secretary, and was in a “decided” frame of mind.
It won’t be necessary to hold a national election until 2024. With his statement that “what is vital is we work together… to get through this winter and defend the economy,” Truss on Wednesday appeared to rule out holding an early election.
Truss is protected from a leadership challenge for a year by Conservative Party rules, but the rules can be amended if enough lawmakers demand it. The number of legislators who have already submitted letters requesting a no-confidence vote is the subject of feverish conjecture.
Some Conservative lawmakers think that if the party settles on a replacement, Truss may be forced to quit.
There isn’t a front-runner as of yet. Hunt, who many consider to be the de facto prime minister already, Rishi Sunak, the House of Commons leader, Penny Mordaunt, and popular Defense Secretary Ben Wallace all have fans.
Some others even support Boris Johnson’s comeback, who was fired in the summer after getting embroiled in ethics problems.
Cleverly claimed that while he understood his colleagues’ rage, “defenestrating another prime minister” was not the right course of action.
