British Prime Minister Liz Truss (47) continues to refuse to resign despite the failure of her tax policy and disastrous polls. “I am a fighter, not a shirker,” the Conservative head of government said during weekly Question Time in the House of Commons in London on Wednesday. The 47-year-old came under heavy pressure during the meeting. Several opposition politicians called on her to resign.
For the first time since the humiliating turnaround in her tax policy, Truss had to answer questions from MPs. She deserved violent ridicule and malice. Truss refuted allegations that she had crashed the country’s economy in her six weeks in office by stating that the overall economic situation was difficult. She also received angry bickering from the opposition benches for this.
“They’re all gone, why is she still here?”
It wasn’t until Monday that their new Treasury Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, withdrew nearly all parts of the recently announced radical tax cuts. His predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng (47) was fired last week – according to many observers, in order to save the office of prime minister.
The following bang followed on Wednesday evening: British Home Secretary Suella Braverman (42) resigned, she confirmed on Twitter. Braverman cited “a technical breach” of confidentiality rules as the reason for her resignation. She forwarded an official document from her personal email address to a “trusted parliamentary colleague,” Braverman wrote. Much of it was already known, but it was “just for me to go”.
Back to Question Time: Opposition leader Starmer executed a clear plan. He listed the abandoned elements of Truss’s tax policy where Labor MPs ‘gone!’ (away) screamed. “They’re all gone, why is she still here?” Starmer yelled at the Prime Minister.
Head of Communications Suspended
The head of government, who had been heavily on the defensive, was spared criticism from her own ranks. However, Truss reportedly passed a vote of confidence on a Labor Party motion on oil extraction later Wednesday. According to reports, those who do not adhere to the group line will be excluded.
A side episode also shows how precarious Truss’ situation is. Shortly before Question Time began, it was announced that Jason Stein, their head of communications, had been suspended and disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him. He had reportedly made disparaging remarks to journalists about a former minister. They allegedly threatened to raise the issue during Question Time in Parliament. Truss didn’t want to risk that. (nab/SDA)