Today Truss has to answer questions for the House of Commons Bullying, tears and a layoff: Britain’s political chaos day in 5 points

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has to answer questions from MPs for the first time since her turnaround over tax policy in Parliament. Much is at stake for the Conservative leader in the House of Commons this Wednesday: a poor performance could further weaken the head of government and accelerate her demise. The 47-year-old faces opposition leader Keir Starmer of the PvdA, who is currently clearly at the top of all polls. But what Truss fears most are members of her own faction.

The opposition had already unsuccessfully demanded that Truss answer questions on Monday. The fact that the prime minister instead forwarded her new finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, and listened wordlessly in parliament as he gradually reversed her recently announced tax cuts, sparked ridicule and criticism.

The 180-degree turn in tax policy was deemed inevitable after the simplifications presented without counter-funding led to serious turbulence in the financial markets. Former Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng therefore had to leave his chair.

Even if markets have calmed down a bit, six weeks after taking office, the head of government is considered as good as ready. According to a poll, 80 percent of Britons have a negative opinion of her. More than half of Conservative members want their resignation.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Truss admitted he had made a mistake. The tax breaks came too quickly and were too extensive, Truss said, according to a spokesperson. However, she has assured that she will remain fully committed to her growth agenda. Her predecessor Boris Johnson had repeatedly managed to free himself in times of crisis with strong performances in the House of Commons. However, Truss is not considered particularly gifted at rhetoric.

In addition to her own performance at what is known as the Prime Minister’s Question Time (13.00 CEST), the level of support Truss receives from her MPs should also receive a lot of attention. The Tories, as the Conservatives are also known in Britain, are known for their loud support of their party leaders in parliamentary debates. Failure to do so would be taken as a sign that they have lost support.

Five members of her group had now publicly called for Truss to be replaced. According to media reports, many others have expressed their displeasure internally. However, it is expected that before the prime minister is ousted, the Conservative group will want to agree on a successor, in order to avoid another time-consuming selection process involving questioning of party members.

The favorite is ex-treasury secretary Rishi Sunak, who lost to Truss in the summer race to succeed Johnson. Also considered promising are Secretary of Parliament Penny Mordaunt and Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace. Current Treasury Secretary Hunt is also brought into play.

(red/sda/dpa)