Comment LONDON — Embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss lost the second of her key cabinet officials on Wednesday as Home Secretary Suella Braverman quit and expressed “concerns about the direction of this government.” Earlier in the day, Truss declared she was a “fighter, not a quitter”, amid calls for her own resignation in her first public grilling in Parliament since seeing her economic agenda hammered. Truss and her government generate more headlines than Boris Johnson, who was kicked out of his party a few months ago after a series of scandals. In her resignation letter, Braverman stressed that she was “choosing” to leave – implying that she was not fired by Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng last week. By way of justification, she said she accidentally broke the rules by sending an official document to a lawmaker from her personal email. He made what could be read as an implicit criticism of the prime minister, writing that “the job of government is based on people taking responsibility for their mistakes” and that “pretending we didn’t make mistakes, carrying on like everybody can’t. see we made it and hoping things will magically go right is not serious politics.’ He then took the opportunity to openly lash out at the Truss government. “Not only have we broken key promises made to our constituents, but I have had serious concerns about this government’s commitment to delivering on its manifesto commitments, such as reducing the overall number of migrants and stopping illegal immigration, particularly the dangerous crossings by small boats “, He wrote. Braverman has been pushing the government to deport migrants who enter Britain illegally in Rwanda – a plan that has hit a legal roadblock. He had attracted attention this week for blaming protests over the climate disruption on “tofu-eating walkers from security guards”. Labor MP Chris Bryant celebrated the resignation with a tweet: “Tofu 1: Braverman 0”. In her brief tenure as Secretary of the Interior, Braverman held one of the four “great offices of state,” the most senior positions in government. When Truss named her cabinet just six weeks ago, it was celebrated as the first in which no white man held one of Britain’s top four seats of political power. Liz Truss’s cabinet is the first in the UK without a White in the top office But since then, Kwarteng has been replaced by a White Tory: Jeremy Hunt. And on Wednesday, the prime minister announced that Braverman would be replaced by another prominent white man: Grant Shapps. Among the original four, Secretary of State James Cleverley is still in the job. He defended the Prime Minister in an interview with Sky News, saying that “running another leadership campaign, standing up for another Prime Minister”, would not “convince the British people that we are thinking about them and not ourselves” or “Convince the market to stay calm”. “Being angry, I understand – I totally understand,” he added. “But this is an emotional response, not a plan.” Tras, however, has a problem. In parliament on Wednesday, she apologized – of sorts – as she came under fire for first proposing big tax cuts and then reversing herself after her policies sent financial markets into turmoil. “I’ve been very clear that I’m sorry and I’ve made mistakes,” she told lawmakers in the House of Commons – where opposition members have accused the new prime minister of governing without a viable plan and mandate and where some of her own party members have also threaten rebellion. As Truss struggles, so does the British economy. Just hours before he appeared in Parliament, the government reported that inflation rose to 10.1% in September compared to last year’s rates. Higher food costs led to the rise. The economy was in bad shape before Truss became leader — though she has arguably made things worse. Energy costs are rising, in part because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. the British pound takes a hit. and the Bank of England has warned that a recession is likely before the end of the year. In her remarks, Truss blamed global headwinds for the woes rather than her muddled economic growth plan, which included tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, paid for by deep borrowing and more debt. With Liz Truss’ agenda rejected, Brits ask if PM still in charge Her appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions, or PMQs – just her third since becoming the country’s leader six weeks ago – found Truss mostly on the defensive. He attacked the opposition parties. But the opposition has not governed Britain for the last 12 years. The Conservative Party has it. Labor leader Keir Starmer asked Truss: “What’s the point of a prime minister whose promises don’t even last a week?” Starmer said the now-defeated Truss economic plan had sent adjustable-rate mortgages skyrocketing for homeowners and accused it of “wiping out” the British economy. “How can she be held accountable when she isn’t?” Starmer asked, referring to how her new finance chief, Hunt, unveiled a whole new government policy this week. Some politicians and the British media refer to Hunt as the “de facto prime minister”. “I have acted in the national interest to ensure that we have economic stability,” Truss replied. Public reviews were brutal. A poll by YouGov found that only 10 percent of voters have a favorable view of Truss, making her the most unpopular prime minister the organization has ever tracked. Another survey found that most members of the Conservative Party – the small section of the population that voted her into power – would now like her to resign. If Truss stays in office, it may be less because she is a fighter than because Conservative lawmakers – who should be pushing or voting for her – are divided over who might replace her. Things have gotten so bad that Conservative MP Bob Seely felt the need to apologize for his government’s behavior during an interview on LBC radio. “I really want to apologize. I’m really sick of this soap opera as much as your listeners are,” he said. “Honestly I’m just as confused as everyone else and I’m really unhappy with the situation.” Some lawmakers said the Conservative Party’s war with itself was on display in the House of Commons lobby on Wednesday ahead of a late-night vote on fracking that was initially billed as a vote of confidence in the government. “I’ve never seen scenes like this at the entrance to an election lobby,” Labor MP Ian Murray tweeted. “… Two Tory whips are dragging people in. Shocking.” Senior Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg told Sky News that “to call it bullying is wrong”.
