So Kwasi Kwarteng is out and Jeremy Hunt is in. How long can Liz Truss last after today’s extraordinary moves?
Prominent Lib Dems have, of course, been giving us their take on the news:
Boris Johnson failed our country and now Liz Truss has broken our economy.
It’s time the British people were given their say on this shower of a Conservative party.
We need a General Election now.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) October 14, 2022
Changing the Chancellor changes nothing. These ideas were Liz Truss’s as much as his. This Government and the Conservative Party that chose it is a national embarrassment. Our great country deserves so much better.
Time for a General Election.
— Layla Moran 🔶🕊️ (@LaylaMoran) October 14, 2022
People are angry, fed up and worried about the future. Most of all they are furious that Conservative MPs seem to think this is an acceptable way to conduct the government.
It started with Boris Johnson failing our country, and now Liz Truss has broken our economy.
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) October 14, 2022
We had moral failure from Boris Johnson’s gvt, now fiscal failure from Liz Truss’s gvt. Ppl are angry and worried about their future. This shouldn’t be the end just of Kwarteng’s disastrous chancellorship, but of years of ineptitude from the Conservatives. General election NOW.
— Munira Wilson MP 🇺🇦 (@munirawilson) October 14, 2022
I only want to hear one thing from Truss this afternoon.
“I’ve just asked his majesty to dissolve parliament. A General Election will now take place.”
— Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP🔶🇺🇦 (@agcolehamilton) October 14, 2022
Remember, the tax cuts were meant to be the easier part of Truss's plans.
— Mark Pack 🔶 (@markpack) October 14, 2022
Enough is enough.
It started with Boris Johnson failing our country, and now Liz Truss has broken our economy.
It is time for the people to have their say in a General Election. pic.twitter.com/x4JqeyUINx
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) October 14, 2022
I think we can see a clear message here!
* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
The DVLA's problem with number plates
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: The Night
Is Kier Starmer the new John Major?
A bargain at 23 guineas?
20C night
David Allen
Nonconformistradical
Chloe
David Raw
Jana
7 Comments
I repeat what I said on LDV several weeks ago that this lot, Truss & Co “… haven’t got a clue.” But I never thought that they would attain this level of incompetence.
Liberals with long memories will remember Harold Macmillan’s “Night of the long knives” in 1962 when he got rid of his Chancellor, Selwyn Lloyd. Liberal MP Jeremy Thorpe, observed that “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life.”
Macmillan only lasted to the following year before he stepped down.
After today’s wooden performance I’m amazed she’s still here- 78,000 Tories got it badly wrong. Truss should resign and the country prepare for a general election asap .
Great quote from Jeremy – Lawrence…
We shall see just how ruthless the Tory party can be in the next few weeks…
The 17 PMs in my lifetime all had their faults, but none have had the level of incompetence and ineptitude shown by Ms Truss.
Some Tory MPs think that Mr Sunak would do a better job. He wasn’t much good at the job of chancellor and his agenda is little different to Truss. Having a slightly less bad Tory leader would make no difference.
A General Election would give the public a chance to give their verdict on this shower, but would the LibDems fare all that well? Can we raise enough money to fight the campaign? Can we persuade enough voters in Tory facing seats to vote for us to get the Tory out? Or will Labour achieve a steamroller effect that leaves them with a huge majority and us with a handful of seats?
The rather indifferent set of policies we look like presenting to the electorate is neither radical nor different enough to attract attention. Our current leaders prefer policies that don’t frighten the Tory horses, instead of a real radical alternative to the statism and centralism of Labour and the free market chaos of the Tories.
Unless 35 or more Tory MPs are prepared to vote for a motion of no confidence plus the end of their political careers, then the GE will not happen until 2024.
So we need to have a conference as soon as possible and get the policies we need to challenge the cosy status quo. I’m not holding my breath.
“The fever that has taken over the Tory party didn’t start with Liz Truss. Trickle down economics has been the guiding philosophy for 12 years. It has failed.” (Ed Miliband).
Labour obviously benefit from creating a link to 12 years ago because they want people thinking mistakes only started when they left, but are Lib Dems doing the same by saying it started with Boris Johnson?
I know Vince Cable needs to sell his book, but does anyone else really think the Tories were doing a good job up until Boris and things have gone to poo only since then?
Don’t forget that the Tories are planning to present the choices at the next election as between ‘strong and stable government under the Conservatives’ and ‘a coalition of chaos.’ Given the chaos of constant changes in ministers, prime ministers and policies since 2015, after the relative stability of coalition in the five years before then, this argument will only make voters laugh now.