According to the Times, leading Tories are discussing the replacement of Prime Minister Liz Truss (47) after just over a month in office. There are considerations for appointing a joint candidate.
A pact between ex-treasury secretary Rishi Sunak (42) and Tory politician Penny Mordaunt (49) is also possible, the Times reported, citing high-ranking party members. Both had failed in the internal competition for party leadership because of Truss. A ‘council of elders’ made up of dozens of former cabinet members stands ready to ask Truss to resign.
Strong criticism of Truss
The prime minister has also been faced with harsh criticism from her own ranks for weeks. The reason for this is the budget of Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng (47), which was financed only with debt and which had caused severe market turbulence. After fierce protests, including from leading Tories, Truss and Kwarteng reversed the abolition of the top tax rate.
Now a new turnaround is likely: as the newspaper “Guardian” wrote, Truss and Kwarteng do not want to cancel the major increase in corporate tax planned for April. The prime minister had repeatedly emphasized that the increase from 19 to 25 percent that her predecessor Boris Johnson (58) had decided would be canceled again.
The markets reacted positively, but Truss seems to be getting nowhere with voters. In a poll by the Yougov opinion poll for the Times, 50 percent were in favor of putting Truss on the doorstep, only 9 percent supported the head of government. (SDA)