Liz Truss’ battle to keep PM job as Tory plotters start oust bid
Truss: Marr warns PM could be 'pulled out' in 'humiliating fashion'
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Ms Truss delivered the shock news to her closest political ally shortly after he landed back in London after cutting short a trip to Washington DC. The Prime Minister later held a press conference where she ditched plans to hold down corporation tax as part of her growth strategy.
Ms Truss insisted that she will not quit and vowed her “mission remains”.
She said: “As Prime Minister, I will always act in the national interest. This is always my first consideration.
“I want to be honest, this is difficult. But we will get through this storm.
“And we will deliver the strong and sustained growth that can transform the prosperity of our country for generations to come.”
The Prime Minister added: “I am determined to deliver on what I set out when I campaigned to be party leader.
“We need to have a high-growth economy but we have to recognise that we are facing very difficult issues as a country.
“And it was right, in the national interest, that I made the decisions I’ve made today to restore that economic stability so we can deliver, first of all helping people through this winter and next winter with their energy bills, but also making sure that our country is on the long-term footing for sustainable economic growth.”
The eight minute event in Downing Street appeared to fail to calm nerves in the Conservative Party with MPs frantically messaging each other about the Prime Minister’s future.
But senior figures warned agitators that Ms Truss must be given a chance to succeed and ousting her will lead to a general election.
Sir Bernard Jenkin said Mr Hunt’s appointment was a “wise choice” as he is “trusted and respected” across Parliament.
He added: “We must now be calm. Rash talk of ditching the PM, or calls for a general election, will not calm the financial markets.”
Conservative Sir Christopher Chope described mutinous colleagues as a “bunch of hyenas”.
He said: “If that’s the way my colleagues behave then I can’t stop them, but I think they’re like a bunch of hyenas, frankly.
“I think it’s going to be suicide for the Conservative Party if we force out another prime minister who is trying to do her best in very difficult circumstances.
“We can’t possibly force another prime minister out of office, we’ve just got to calm down and try to give the Prime Minister our support.”
Ex-Cabinet Minister Nadine Dorries hit out at supporters of former chancellor Rishi Sunak – who lost out to Ms Truss in the leadership contest – accusing them of agitating to get rid of the Prime Minister.
She said: “They agitated to remove Boris Johnson and now they will continue plotting until they get their way. It’s a plot not to remove a PM but to overturn democracy.”
One senior MP said the press conference had been “appalling” and a “car crash”.
“What she needed to do was be contrite and purposeful but she did not look like someone who was sure she wants to stay in the job. She seemed oddly nervous.”
The ex-minister said all of the options now lead to “doom” and even if the PM does “capitulate” there is no obvious candidate that would be acceptable across the party.
Former Tory leader Lord Hague said the Prime Minister’s future “hangs by a thread”.
“It’s been a catastrophic episode,” he said.
One backbencher said they were “cynical” about the decision by Mr Hunt, who twice failed to become Tory leader, to take the job, questioning whether he had his eye on stepping in as Prime Minister in a caretaker role if Ms Truss is forced to go.
An ally of new Chancellor fanned the flames by describing Mr Hunt as the “chief executive” inside Ms Truss’s government.
Steve Brine said: “You should see Liz Truss as the chairman and Jeremy Hunt as the chief executive.
“And I think he’ll be a very effective chief executive and like a new football manager coming in, at the end of the day the supporters are happy when the team is winning.”
He also did not deny that the promotion for the two-time leadership contender could bring him a step closer to becoming prime minister himself.
Mr Brine said: “I’m a great fan of crossing bridges when you come to them. And Jeremy will be 100 per cent focused on being Chancellor.
“I think he has quite enough to do but he obviously has made no secret of the fact that he wanted the top job when he stood against Boris Johnson and this time, which didn’t quite work out for him.
“But I mean, he’ll be focused on the job and I think he’s got enough on his plate this weekend.”
One Whitehall source said the appointment of Mr Hunt had not been universally well received.
“You have to ask yourself if Jeremy Hunt is the answer, what was the problem we were trying to solve?”
Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey held a conference call with backbenchers in an attempt to calm nerves.
But MPs suggested she had intensified upset by failing to acknowledge mistakes that had been made in failing to unify the party.
Ms Coffey was among members of Ms Truss’s Cabinet to rally around the PM.
She said: “The PM is right to act now to ensure our country’s economic stability – key for families and businesses – and reassure the markets of our fiscal discipline, especially in light of the worsening global economic conditions with Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Cabinet Office Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “It’s time to get Britain moving. We are determined to grow the economy, eliminate the covid backlog and protect people from Putin’s energy warfare.”
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