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The British Prime Minister is in trouble because
The British government of Liz Truss is on the verge of collapse. The decision to cut taxes on the rich and increase public debt proved politically catastrophic. Truss backtracked, but now the revolt is growing in his party, the Conservatives, and the prime minister seems to have his hours counted.
The executive headed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s successor is losing pieces. Following the dismissal of Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng a week ago, Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned on October 19 after a furious clash with Liz Truss. Between the two there is a deep divergence on the question of immigration and the Braverman, which is for a rigid regime in terms of entries, would have taken the opportunity to abandon the ship, that of the Truss government, before it flows.
Today October 20 will be another field day for the Prime Minister. And it got off to a bad start when the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that UK inflation hit a 40-year high in September at 10.1%. The prices of foodstuffs, in particular bread, cereals, meat and cheese, increased by +14.5% compared to last year. A 250 gram pack of butter, points out Alessandra Sestito of Agi, has come to cost 7.5 pounds (8.5 euros). In supermarkets they display it with an electromagnetic anti-theft system so that it is not stolen.
Starmer versus Truss
A harsh reality for the subjects of King Charles III, who voluntarily separated from the rest of Europe with Brexit. And which now appear more isolated from the Old Continent. Not a good living for Liz Truss, who on October 20 faces Prime Minister’s Questions and it’s question and answer with Opposition Leader Keir Starmer. Labor is buoyed by polls that indicate they are on the rise and are clamoring to give voice to the electorate and go to the polls. Elections which, at this stage, are beginning to dawn on the horizon: in 2023 and not the following year as the natural expiration of the legislature.
The 1922 Committee
Either way, Truss’ ordeal has only just begun. On the evening of October 20, the Prime Minister will face the meeting of the 1922 Committee of the Conservative Party of which she is the leader. The cordial air of Sir Graham Stuart Brady, the leader of the House of Commons parliamentary committee, which acts as gatekeeper to the work of Tory leaders, should not be misleading. Brady will analyze the number of letters of censure arriving at the Prime Minister’s address. They are not few. And he will attempt to plot a way out of the quagmire the party currently seems mired in. If necessary without worrying too much about the incumbent prime minister.
In fact, in one week, the scenario has completely changed. Truss fired the Chancellor with whom he had brainstormed the disastrous economic maneuver a month ago. The new finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, has almost completely changed the so-called mini-budget, including the part relating to helping families with rising energy bills. The Prime Minister will try to salvage his already meager credibility. To make his mission even more difficult, however, is the fact that under his leadership the polls for the Conservatives are disastrous.
The situation is also delicate for Sir Graham Brady. If the 1922 Committee began the process of appointing a new party leader, and therefore a new Prime Minister, further dissension might arise among the Tories. At that point, the solution would be to go back to the polls. Conversely, the Conservatives in Britain are like the PD in Italy until before the elections: they have been governing continuously for a decade. And it seems that voters across the Channel intend to punish them severely. Popular enthusiasm for Brexit is now a thing of the past.