Suella Braverman’s departure, due to a “technical” breach of government rules, means Truss has now lost two of her most senior ministers in less than a week, both replaced by politicians who had not backed her for the leadership. Grant Shapps, who on October 4 said Truss had only 10 days to save her premiership, will replace Braverman in a bid by the prime minister to quell a growing rebellion by bringing critics into the fold. Truss, in power for just over six weeks, has been fighting for her political survival since Sept. 23, when she launched a “mini-budget” — an economic program of massive, unfunded tax cuts that sent shockwaves through financial markets. But in scenes not often seen in Parliament, confusion over whether a vote on fracking was a vote of confidence in the Truss government saw lawmakers openly row and shake. There were also reports of manipulation of politicians to get them to vote with the government. Suella Braverman walks outside Downing Street in London on Tuesday, a day before she resigned as Britain’s Home Secretary. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)
The resignation is due to a violation of the email rule
“Discipline is breaking down, we can’t go on like this,” a Conservative lawmaker told Reuters, adding that at least one of the government’s parliamentary enforcers had resigned. Another MP, Charles Walker, told BBC television that he was “fierce” with the “unwavering people” who put Truss in power just because they wanted a job. “I think it’s rubbish and a disgrace,” he said. Some lawmakers said Conservative Chief Whip Wendy Morton, who is in charge of party discipline, and her deputy had resigned. But Truss’ office later said both remained in their jobs. Conservative officials denied there was any tampering, but in the chaos Truss herself did not vote, according to the official record. Many Tory MPs were left disillusioned with the state of their party. Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, asked on television whether the reports were correct, said: “I’m not entirely clear on the situation.” The latest twist in what appears to be a never-ending political drama at Westminster comes as millions of Britons worry about rising inflation and cuts to public spending, with the political elite appearing to do little to allay those concerns. Truss had just told lawmakers she was sorry for the mistakes she had made, but was not going to resign, when reports emerged that her home secretary, or home secretary, had left. In confirming her resignation, Braverman said she broke the rules by sending an official document from her personal email to a parliamentary colleague. But he added that he was worried about the government and that hoping the problems would go away was not a sustainable approach. “I have made a mistake, I accept responsibility, I resign,” she says in a letter to the prime minister. Grant Shapps walks outside Downing Street on Wednesday after being appointed to replace Braverman. (Toby Melville/Reuters) Her replacement also failed to offer a resounding endorsement of Truss. On his arrival at his new workplace, Shapps admitted the government had “obviously had a very difficult time”. But he said, referring to the new Truss finance minister: “Jeremy Hunt, I think, has done an excellent job in sorting out the issues associated with this mini-budget.” Media reports suggested Truss and Braverman may have clashed over immigration. Braverman, who recently said she dreamed of seeing asylum seekers deported to Rwanda, has taken a hard line on immigration numbers. Truss had suggested that immigration restrictions could be lifted in some parts of the economy. As Hunt works to find ways to stimulate the economy, further loosening of immigration rules could be an option.
Opposition MPs denounce “bullying” in vote fracking
After a move to vote down a confidence vote, scenes in Parliament descended into chaos as Conservative lawmakers were confused about whether they were bound to vote along with the government. As they went to vote, opposition MPs said they saw the Conservatives trying to physically force their colleagues to vote with the government. Chris Bryant, a senior Labor MP, told the chamber he had seen lawmakers being “physically manipulated” and “bullied” into voting with the Conservatives. Two Conservative MPs said they had seen no such behaviour. “Just watched the Deputy Prime Minister virtually take a recalcitrant Tory MP and put him in the Government lobby. Amazing,” Scottish National MP David Linden tweeted.
The PM was met with laughter, boos and jeers
The Labor Party motion was defeated by 326 votes to 230 and the government proposal won, but some lawmakers said they were angry at the tactics, or lack thereof, used by the government. The results of the vote showed that 40 conservative lawmakers did not participate in the vote, although some of them were on business trips or unwell. Hours earlier, Truss faced a raucous Prime Minister’s Questions session in parliament for the first time since Hunt withdrew most of her tax cut plan. She came out fighting. Asked by Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, why she should stay in power, she said: “I’m a fighter, not a quitter.” “I’ve been very clear that I’m sorry and I’ve made mistakes,” Truss told jeering opposition MPs in parliament. “I’m ready to make the tough decisions.” The Prime Minister was met with laughter, boos and jeers, especially when she told the opposition Labor Party that she needed to understand economic reality. She also sought to reassure lawmakers about her future spending plans. After days of uncertainty, he said he had pledged to increase state pension payments in line with the level of inflation. But some were not convinced. We are protecting the triple lock on pensions to ensure pensioners get the most generous support, as well as providing extra support with their energy bills. https://t.co/vHWHBwC52g @trussliz Conservative MP William Rugg said he had submitted a letter of no confidence to the Prime Minister, while calls were being made for her to leave. Wragg said he was “embarrassed” to face voters after the so-called mini-budget. Former Science Secretary George Freeman said: “Enough is enough. The Cabinet must act quickly to restore collective responsibility and trust.”
Pressure to balance books
Truss was elected on September 6 by Conservative members on the promise of tax cuts and maintaining public spending. She is under pressure despite apologizing for going “too far and too fast” with an economic program that prompted investors to dump the pound and government bonds, leaving her and Hunt scrambling to balance the books. Markets have stabilized somewhat since then, but with mortgage rates rising and official figures showing inflation at a 40-year high, Truss faces a struggle to convince the public and her party that she can tackle a cost-of-living crisis . Her Conservative Party is around 30 points behind Labour, according to opinion polls, and YouGov ranks her as the most unpopular leader the pollster has ever tracked.
