Brexit and not very united kingdom politics II

[Juubi Karakuchi]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 75293.html

Liz Truss: Tory MPs sending no-confidence letters over fears she will ‘crash the economy’, says ex-minister

‘Liz is f*****’, says former minister in Boris Johnson government

Adam Forrest

Some Conservative MPs have already sent letters of no-confidence in Liz Truss’s leadership over fears she will “crash the economy”, a former minister has claimed.

Top economists, currency markets, opposition parties and some Tory MPs have reacted with dismay to the prime minister and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s borrowing-fuelled tax cut spree.

An ex-minister in Boris Johnson’s government told Sky News that the letters which could trigger a confidence have already been sent to 1922 Committee chair Sir Graham Brady.

“Liz is f*****. She is taking on markets and the Bank of England,” the MP told the broadcaster, saying she and Treasury ministers were “playing A-level economics with people’s lives”.

The ex-minister added: “They are already putting letters in as think she will crash the economy. The tax cuts don’t matter as all noise anyway – mainly reversing back to the status quo this year.

“The issue is government fiscal policy is opposite to Bank of England monetary policy – so they are fighting each other. What Kwasi gives, the Bank takes away ... You cannot have monetary policy and fiscal policy at loggerheads.”

Tory MP Mel Stride, chair of the Treasury select committee, has suggested that Mr Kwarteng had been wrong to signal further tax cuts on Sunday, amid the dramatic decline in the value of the pound.

“One thing is for sure – it would be wise to take stock of how through time the markets weigh up recent economic announcements rather than immediately signalling more of the same in the near term,” he said.

The pound plummeted to its lowest level against the dollar since decimalisation in 1971, falling more than 4 per cent. It regained some ground to a 20-year low of $1.05 before recovering further to $1.075 just after 10am this morning.

On the pound hitting an all-time low, senior Tory backbencher Simon Hoare tweeted: “This is not good news. V worrying indeed.”

One of the chancellor’s allies told The Times that the sharp drop in the pound’s worth was “City boys playing fast and loose with the economy ... It will settle”.

But Labour’s Rachel Reeves accused the PM and the chancellor “behaving like two gamblers in a casino chasing a losing run”, after Mr Kwarteng hinted at tax cuts beyond the £45bn package in his mini-Budget.

She told Times Radio: “Financial markets are unimpressed, the British public are unimpressed … Because they’re not gambling with their own money – they’re gambling with all our money, and it’s reckless and it’s irresponsible as well as being grossly unfair.”

Mr Kwarteng and Ms Truss are reportedly ready to go further in their tax-cutting, borrowing spree in the New Year, with possible further reductions in income tax. The chancellor told the BBC on Sunday there was “more to come”.

The government is reportedly considering abolishing a charge for parents who earn more than £50,000 and claim child benefit, increasing the annual allowances on pension pots – and offering a tax break for people who stay at home to care for children or loved ones.

Ms Reeves said the chancellor had been “fanning the flames” of the pound’s decline by talking up more tax cuts. “The chancellor instead of doubling down on his position on Friday needs to now set out credible plans,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

In a sign of Tory unease, former chancellor George Osborne urged the government to end the “schizophrenic” policy of slashing taxes and increasing borrowing.

And Tory grandee Ken Clarke compared the Truss-Kwarteng plan to cuts taxes for the wealthy to Latin American governments. “I’m afraid that’s the kind of thing that’s usually tried in Latin American countries without success,” he told BBC Radio 4.

Ms Reeves will use her speech at the party’s conference in Liverpool on Monday to set out the party’s own plan for growth, which would begin with an initial £8.3bn investment to fund green industries.

“I don’t believe that the government has a growth plan. They say they do, but you know – you could say pigs can fly but they can’t,” Ms Reeves told Times Radio. “Trickle down economics has failed in the past, it will fail again.”

Well that didn't take very long.

I suppose a confidence vote may be hoping for too much at this point. But give it a month or two, the way the economy's going.

[Crazedwraith]

If they immediately chuck Truss out does that give BoJo a chance to run again?

It's laugh or cry at the moment.

I don't want to know who the inevitable person worse than Truss they go for next will be.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

I believe so. And I wouldn't be surprised if that was the plan all along. I just didn't expect a crisis on this scale this quickly.

Truss does have one thing going for her. If she tries the same ploy as Bojo - call a general election - then she is less likely to be refused; for the simple reason that, unlike Bojo, she hasn't faced one yet.

If it does come to a leadership contest, I have a feeling Bojo will be restored; bearing in mind the support he seems to have among the party members. As for the country as a whole, I don't fancy his chances.

[Crazedwraith]

AFAIK, they repealed the fixed term act. So She doesn't have to ask the opposition for a general election. She can just declare one.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

If she doesn't remember what happened the last time a female UK PM called a general election. May's decision backfired so badly she found herself being propped up by the one group she couldn't afford to piss off vis-à-vis the Irish Border Problem, the DUP.

If she did do that, we'd end up with a hung parliament given the shambles that BoJo left behind. If she does get the boot already her only claim to fame is that she was the last Prime Minister to meet The Queen.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

AFAIK, they repealed the fixed term act. So She doesn't have to ask the opposition for a general election. She can just declare one.

Not Parliament, the King. Bojo was threatening a GE back in July, only to be told that the late Queen could theoretically have refused under the Lascelles Principles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascelles_Principles).

On reflection I don't think this actually happened. I wouldn't put it past Bojo to call a GE anyway, and dare the late Queen to use an obscure convention to try and stop him. I have the sneaking suspicion that Bojo was talked down with the promise of a return to power later.

On that basis, Truss would almost certainly not be refused. Apart from anything else, she has no popular mandate.

If she doesn't remember what happened the last time a female UK PM called a general election. May's decision backfired so badly she found herself being propped up by the one group she couldn't afford to piss off vis-à-vis the Irish Border Problem, the DUP.

If she did do that, we'd end up with a hung parliament given the shambles that BoJo left behind. If she does get the boot already her only claim to fame is that she was the last Prime Minister to meet The Queen.

I can only see Truss calling a GE if she is already under attack from within her own party, and reckons she has nothing to lose. May was in nothing like that situation.

[Crazedwraith]

IMF waens againdt tax cuts

Liz truss promises made promises kept: she said she'd be unpopular.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

It's worse than that:
Bank of England will buy government bonds in bid to calm market turmoil.

The Bank of England has launched an emergency UK government bond-buying programme to prevent borrowing costs from spiraling out of control and stave off a “material risk to UK financial stability”.

The Bank announced it was stepping in to buy government bonds - known as gilts - at an “urgent pace” after fears over the government’s economic policies sent the pound tumbling and sparked a sell-off in the gilts market.

On Wednesday, Labour called for Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to issue an "urgent statement" on how he plans to fix the "the crisis that he has made".The party, alongside the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party (SNP), also insisted that parliament, which is currently on a conference recess, should be recalled.

But Cabinet minister Robert Buckland stood by Mr Kwarteng’s plans during an interview with ITV Wales on Wednesday.
Questioned over the pound’s fall in value, food cost inflation and soaring interest rates which have affected the housing market, Mr Buckland said: “I do think it’s very important that we remain very steady and calm through this period.

"The issue for me is how we grow our economy in order to pay for increased public services."

While the pound hit an all-time record low of 1.03 against the US dollar on Monday, the yield on ten-year gilts - which is a proxy for the effective interest rate on public borrowing - has soared by the most in a five-year period since 1976, according to experts.

And, according to Sky News, pension funds would have collapsed today if not for Bank of England intervention.

ITV News Political Reporter Shehab Khan explained: "The Bank of England has stepped in to buy government bonds, at a high rate, to essentially fund the government's tax cut policy... the Bank of England would only step in this significantly if the economy was in real trouble."

In its statement, the Bank of England said there would be a substantial risk to UK financial stability “were dysfunction in this market to continue or worsen".

“This would lead to an unwarranted tightening of financing conditions and a reduction of the flow of credit to the real economy," it said.

“In line with its financial stability objective, the Bank of England stands ready to restore market functioning and reduce any risks from contagion to credit conditions for UK households and businesses.”

Sir Keir Starmer says hope that Labour can win next election is now a 'belief'.

It no longer feels "impossible" for Labour to win the next election, Sir Keir Starmer has told ITV News, as his "hope" of gaining the keys to Number 10 turns into "belief" following the party conference.

The Labour leader's renewed confidence comes as Prime Minister Liz Truss's economic plan descends into chaos, with Sir Keir urging for Parliament to be recalled and the mini-budget reversed.

In a wide-ranging interview, Sir Keir also admitted he is "not embarrassed" that Labour has never had a female leader, but said there should "absolutely" be a woman at the head of the party in the future.

As Labour surges ahead in the polls and as confidence dips in the government's economic strategy with the Bank of England taking emergency measures, Sir Keir believes the party is finally in a position to make it back to Downing Street.

Starmer says Labour government will create green, publicly-owned energy company
"We've done a huge amount of work to change the Labour party over the last two years," he told ITV News in Liverpool.

"And the polls are reflecting that, the confidence is reflecting that.

"I know we've got to earn every vote but nobody is now saying to me it's impossible for Labour to win the next election.

"In fact, a hope of winning has turned into a belief that we will win."

If the next election was tomorrow, absolutely. But it's still 2.5 years away.

[Zaune]

If the Tories manage to get re-elected after another two and a half years of this then this country deserves to collapse.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

I suspect Britain is finished anyway. Too much has festered for too long, and it seems to me that the British public - or a substantial portion of it - is trapped in a psychological cul-de-sac from which it is unable, and perhaps unwilling, to escape. It wants its problems solved, yet demands solutions that do not work; and vehemently rejects solutions that will or at least might.

In other news, the Pound has reportedly dropped again; down to $1.0775. Also, Truss is doubling down on the Mini-Budget, insisting that she has to do "what i believe is right." The Guardian has this to offer.


https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... -liz-truss

Stick, twist … or sack Kwasi Kwarteng? The choices facing Liz Truss
Heather Stewart
We rate PM’s likely next steps as she sets about navigating path through crisis of her government’s making
Liz Truss

Wed 28 Sep 2022 14.10 BST

Battered by financial markets and besieged by MPs whose constituents’ mortgage payments are set to rocket, Liz Truss must now navigate a serious economic crisis of her government’s own making.

Does she stick, twist – or gamble again?

Rating the likelihood of what might happen from one to five, here are some of her options in the days ahead. (Spoiler: none of them are good.)

Style it out (2/5)
Truss was reportedly reluctant for Kwasi Kwarteng to issue an emergency statement earlier this week, aimed at reassuring financial markets. She preferred to stand firm. The mini-budget was closely aligned with Truss’s own ardently free-market vision, and she is unlikely to want to be forced into a humiliating U-turn so early in her premiership.

As many of her intellectual outriders have suggested, she is also relatively relaxed about somewhat higher interest rates, believing the Bank of England should have acted sooner against inflation.

Some in government appear to believe markets overreacted so dramatically in recent days because they did not understand the full context of Kwarteng’s plans, and what he and Truss are hoping to achieve. Truss intends to remedy that by rushing out other aspects of what she firmly believes to be a pro-growth set of policies – from childcare reform to immigration – in the hope of reassuring investors.

She could then use her conference speech next week to try to instil a sense of determined calm. But with the bond markets giving journalists an instant readout of how well she is going down with the audience that really matters, that looks a bold – not to say mad – strategy.

U-turn on tax cuts, with or without sacking Kwasi Kwarteng (4/5)
In its pointed statement on Tuesday evening, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) dropped a heavy hint it would like to see the chancellor withdraw some of his tax-cut plans, when he sets out his fiscal plan on 23 November.

Long before that, the intense market pressure could yet force Truss to change course, unpicking some aspects of the £45bn package Kwarteng announced, on top of the costly energy price guarantee.

Some of the tax cuts could be delayed, for example – as Rishi Sunak insisted was necessary during his leadership campaign – or some of the more contentious policies, such as the cut in the 45p rate, could be scrapped altogether.

Truss hastily dropped plans for regional setting of public sector pay during her leadership campaign, after it became clear that if implemented, they would cut the salaries of key workers such as nurses.

Truss could attempt to blame Kwarteng for the chaos and force him out, though MPs are of the firm belief that it was Truss’s mini-budget just as much as it was his. She would then have to find another right-hand man or woman, solid enough to reassure the markets, but willing to serve in her deeply ideological cabinet.

Announce spending cuts (3/5)
Kwarteng has promised the markets – and his own MPs – more details on how he plans to ensure that debt as a share of GDP is falling in the “medium term”, despite his vast unfunded spending plans. One way to try to make those sums add up would be to announce spending cuts in the years ahead, with the welfare budget a likely victim.

Sunak promised in his budget earlier this year that benefits would be uprated in line with inflation in April, for example, after the 3.1% rise this year left many struggling. Kwarteng has refused to repeat that pledge, and it could be abandoned.

Promising cuts would please some of Truss’s backers, who see a smaller state as integral to their vision of a leaner, more competitive economy. But with public services, from ambulances to courts, already struggling badly, it is not obviously an election-winning approach.

Resign and give someone else a go (1/5)
In theory, the fabled “men in grey suits” of the 1922 Committee (and most of them are men), looking at the dramatic impact of Truss’s short premiership on financial markets, could decide she is permanently trashing her party’s reputation and urge her to go.

But the party’s leadership rules, as they stand, give Truss 12 months before she can face any formal challenge. With the strong support of her party’s membership in the summer ballot, she has a mandate to dig in her heels and crack on with implementing her radical plans.

She may also suffer a crisis of self-doubt and resign – but anyone who has met her believes that to be extremely unlikely.

[His Divine Shadow]

I suspect Britain is finished anyway. Too much has festered for too long, and it seems to me that the British public - or a substantial portion of it - is trapped in a psychological cul-de-sac from which it is unable, and perhaps unwilling, to escape. It wants its problems solved, yet demands solutions that do not work; and vehemently rejects solutions that will or at least might.

Funny how well this also resonates with many other countries.

[Tribble]

I suspect Britain is finished anyway. Too much has festered for too long, and it seems to me that the British public - or a substantial portion of it - is trapped in a psychological cul-de-sac from which it is unable, and perhaps unwilling, to escape. It wants its problems solved, yet demands solutions that do not work; and vehemently rejects solutions that will or at least might.

Funny how well this also resonates with many other countries.

Yes, the list of countries/people who want to see Britain (and especially the English) burn is rather large, isn’t it?

Hell, even the Welsh independence movement is steadily growing, and that’s saying something (though as usual it’s not like the rest of the UK notices and/or cares).

[His Divine Shadow]

I meant other countries have similar problems and for the same reasons.

Basically this meme


Sweden for instance, turned into a complete neolib shithole since 1980s, people aren't happy with the political situation and how the country feels like it's falling apart, but they dont want the solutions that would fix it either. And this repeats in most countries IMO. With differences for sure.

[madd0c0t0r2]

"rail strike causes early exodus from Tory party conference, with many mp's skipping the PM's key speech".

Lol.

[Eternal_Freedom]

"rail strike causes early exodus from Tory party conference, with many mp's skipping the PM's key speech".

Lol.

RMT plans a rail strike specifically on dates for the Tory conference, then says "nope, this definitely isn't political."

Dude, I've heard better liars at the Tory party conference

[Juubi Karakuchi]

The saga continues.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... i-kwarteng

Liz Truss sacks Kwasi Kwarteng ahead of corporation tax U-turn
Chancellor shares letter saying he has accepted prime minister’s request for him ‘to stand aside’
Friday’s politics news: latest updates
Kwasi Kwarteng

Fri 14 Oct 2022 13.25 BST

Kwasi Kwarteng has announced that he has been sacked as chancellor by Liz Truss as the prime minister tries to restore her political authority ahead of a U-turn on parts of her disastrous mini-budget later on Friday.

In a tweeted letter to Truss, Kwarteng began: “You have asked me to stand aside as chancellor. I have accepted.”

Earlier, Downing Street sources had told the Guardian the prime minister wanted Kwarteng to “carry the can” over her climbdown as she sought to calm the markets and the nerves of jittery Tory MPs.

Truss met Kwarteng, previously her closest political ally and co-architect of her plan for growth, for crisis talks in Downing Street after he dashed back overnight from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington DC.

Truss was due to hold a press conference at Downing Street later on Friday.

In the letter, Kwarteng argues that their plan to rapidly cut taxes was the correct one despite the turbulent market reaction to his 23 September mini-budget, saying: “Following the status quo was simply not an option.”

He went on: “The economic situation has changed rapidly since we set out the growth plan on 23 September. In response, together with the Bank of England and excellent officials at the Treasury we have responded to those events, and I commend my officials for their dedication.”

Noting that he and Truss had been “colleagues and friends for many years”, Kwarteng backed Truss’s economic vision and said it had been “an honour” to serve her.

He added: “It is important now we move forward to emphasise your government’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The medium-term fiscal plan is crucial to that end, and I look forward to supporting you and my successor to achieve that from the backbenches.”

Whitehall insiders said the pair had held different views on how far the government should go in reversing key elements of its plan to steady the markets and placate anxious Conservative MPs.

They said Kwarteng had been pushing for a full retreat on the corporation tax policy, raising it from the current 19% rate to the planned 25%, while the prime minister had wanted to go for just a fraction of the rise.

One Treasury insider said Kwarteng had all along been “more prepared to U-turn” than Truss on corporation tax and previously the 45p rate, despite him largely getting the blame for the policies.

However, Downing Street insiders said Truss was expected to fully retreat on the plan.

The prime minister’s own position is seemingly in such peril, with Tory MPs actively plotting her downfall amid chaos, that she concluded sacking the chancellor was essential for her political survival.

But the move is unlikely to appease angry Tory MPs, with one telling Sky News: “The idea that the prime minister can just scapegoat her chancellor and move on is deluded. This is her vision. She signed off on every detail and she defended it.”

Treasury insiders speculated that the Cabinet Office minister, Nadhim Zahawi, who held the post of chancellor for 63 days this summer, or the levelling up secretary, Simon Clarke, could replace Kwarteng.

Truss is under intense pressure from Conservative MPs and the markets, leading No 10 to redraw the mini-budget, paving the way for a major U-turn on her signature corporation tax cut.

After weeks of defending the proposal for unfunded tax cuts on a huge scale, government sources have said a climbdown on the plan to scrap the rise in corporation tax was now “on the table”.

Kwarteng had earlier this week denied his position as chancellor was in peril, saying he was “absolutely, 100%” confident he would still be in post next month despite a growing Tory rebellion.

When asked by the Daily Telegraph on Thursday whether people should expect a U-turn in corporation tax, he replied: “Let’s see.”

He lasted 38 days. And apparently he's not the shortest-serving Chancellor of the Exchequer. The shortest AFAIK was Ian Macleod, who died in 1970 after serving 30 days in Edward Heath's government.

Also, if Truss leaves office before the New Year, she will be the shortest-serving Prime Minster of the UK.

[Crazedwraith]

According to BBC Jeremy Hunt is the new chancellor. Wouldn't think he'd want another job starting with C. lol.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

In other news...

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... s-mps-told

Northern Ireland likely to face another election by Christmas, MPs told
NI secretary Chris Heaton-Harris indicates second poll of the year in mid-December unless power sharing quickly restored
A No Entry sign at Stormont.

Tue 18 Oct 2022 18.50 BST

Northern Ireland will face assembly elections before Christmas unless power-sharing is restored in the next 10 days, the government has confirmed.

Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, hinted at an 8 or 15 December polling day during evidence at a House of Commons select committee. It would be the second election for Northern Ireland this year.

Heaton-Harris told MPs his focus was “trying to charm, beguile, coax everybody” to return to Stormont by a 28 October deadline. However, with the Democratic Unionist party’s continuing boycott over the Northern Ireland protocol, this is considered unlikely.

The devolved government has not fully functioned since February, when the DUP withdrew its senior representatives, including the first minister, in protest at the Brexit trade deal’s protocol, which mandates checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

The DUP continued its boycott after the elections in May, in which Sinn Féin overtook the party for the first time.

Heaton-Harris told MPs: “If we do not get a reformed executive by one minute past midnight on 28 October, I will be calling an election, that’s what the law requires me to do, and that is what I will be doing.”

The resumption of talks between the UK and the EU over the protocol dispute prompted speculation that Heaton-Harris would delay a second election. However, he told MPs that even if he were minded to do so, he could not “see the space” for the necessary emergency legislation.

Stephen Farry MP, deputy leader of the cross-community Alliance party, said it was “probably realistic to think that we’re not going to have an executive in the next few weeks”.

Pressed by the DUP’s Ian Paisley as to whether an election could happen on 8 December or 15 December, Heaton-Harris replied he would “like to think it would be a relatively short campaign”. He indicated Paisley was “in the right zone” and confirmed any election would be before Christmas.

His comments come during heightened interest in Northern Ireland, with a flurry of visits to Belfast amid hopes a deal can be struck over the protocol dispute.

On Tuesday, the US ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley, visited Belfast, underlining Joe Biden’s continued commitment to cementing the peace agreement 25 years after it was signed.

On Monday the taoiseach, Micheál Martin, met political parties, while last week a delegation from the European parliament met civic and political leaders. Next week, the Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker will meet the taoiseach.

Heaton-Harris told MPs that talks with the EU were “tough” but they were talking about what a resolution would look like at the highest level. “Things are quite complicated on all sides … There are conversations about what a landing zone could look like,” he said.

Negotiations are being led by the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, with the most recent talks being held with the EU’s lead negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, on Monday.

“Everyone is approaching this in a positive and grownup fashion but just because the mood music has changed doesn’t mean the talks are not quite tough,” Heaton-Harris said.

Ten days to get the DUP to stop acting like spoiled brats and do their jobs.

And for the DUP, a dilemma. They're already in second place, so a new election is unlikely to benefit them. Indeed it could even hurt them if enough voters turn on them; most likely by voting for Alliance. But can they bear to give in and take their seats?

[Crazedwraith]

Is protesting a clause they were promised wouldn't happen and separates them from the rest of the UK really acting like spoiled brats?

Then again this election presumably will change nothing. The power sharing agreement is still in force.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Maybe that was harsh, but their refusal has effectively shut down the Northern Irish assembly. All they've done is punish the Northern Irish public - their own voters included - because of what Boris Johnson did over in Westminster. Also, they've been doing everything they can to block the Protocol; despite it having majority support.

Yes, power sharing is still in place; but that just means the two best-performing parties get to form the government. In this case that means Sinn Fein and DUP, even though they only have 52 seats between them out of 90; admittedly a majority, but not by much. The combined Unionist vote (all four parties) is 37 seats, while the combined Nationalist vote (Sinn Fein and SDLP) is 35; and the Nonaligned vote (Alliance and PBP) is 18. This is likely one reason why the DUP pulled its little stunt; the combined Nationalist and Nonaligned parties could outvote them even if the other Unionist parties backed them.

The last election was a real shakeup by Northern Irish standards. Not only did Sinn Fein take first place for the first time, but it has since been revealed that Catholics now outnumber Protestants (at least in the census). Now they're being offered a do-over, things could get dramatic.

For the DUP, the risk is that some of their voters shift to one of the other Unionist parties, or go over to Alliance. Currently the DUP has 25 seats and Alliance 17; so if the DUP lose a few and Alliance gain a few, they could switch places. It's hard to say what will actually happen; but that's the risk the DUP will be taking if they force an election.

[Crazedwraith]

Grant Shapps has replaced Suella Braverman as home secretary, six weeks after being fired as transport secretary by Liz Truss.

Ms Braverman quit over two data breaches but launched an attack on Ms Truss's premiership in her resignation letter.

She accused the government of breaking "key pledges" and of "pretending we haven't made mistakes".

Labour said the government was "falling apart at the seams".

Ms Braverman said she had made a "technical infringement" of the rules by sending an official document from a personal email and was now taking responsibility.

"I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign," she told the PM in her letter, in a thinly veiled dig at Ms Truss.

She added: "Pretending we haven't made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can't see that we have made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics.

"It is obvious to everyone that we are going through a tumultuous time.

"I have had serious concerns about this government's commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers and stopping illegal migration, particularly the dangerous small boats crossings."

In response, Ms Truss wrote she was "grateful" to Ms Braverman adding: "Your time in office has been marked by your steadfast commitment to keeping the British people safe."

Speaking as he arrived at the Home Office to start work, Mr Shapps said it was a "great honour" to be home secretary and praised the work of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt but didn't mention the prime minister.

He acknowledged it was a "turbulent time for the government" but added that he was "looking forward to getting stuck into the role… regardless of what is happening in Westminster".

Mr Shapps has previously said he was fired by Ms Truss when she became PM because although he was an "effective" minister he had not supported her in the Tory leadership contest.

A veteran of successive Tory cabinets, and a former Conservative Party chairman, Mr Shapps is seen as being on the centre right of the party and was a supporter of former Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Ms Braverman is the second minister to leave government during Ms Truss's premiership, after Kwasi Kwarteng stepped down as chancellor last week.
Her departure adds further chaos to the week for the prime minister, at a time when Downing Street was desperate to show unity and stability in government.

Ms Braverman was firmly on the right of the party, and her resignation may well trigger further upset from some of her political allies, such as those MPs who backed her to be the Tory leader.

She becomes the shortest serving home secretary since World War Two, having been in the job for only 43 days.

Responding to her resignation, Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was "falling apart", adding: "To appoint and then sack both your home secretary and chancellor within six weeks is utter chaos."

The SNP leader Westminster Ian Blackford said the government had "no vision other than a desperate and undying desire to stay in office".

Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said: "The only solution now is a general election so the public can get off this carousel of Conservative chaos."

Hilariously, to me at least, the initial article I read on this, emphasised 'she's resigning because she made a genuine mistake. It's not in protest in Truss' and then when the letter was revealed it turned out it was very much a protest at Truss.

eta: Plus, she's replaced with Shapps who's memetically awful at everything. But then who do the Torys have left?

[Crazedwraith]

Chief Whip may also be gone now, it's officially unclear.

Apparently there was a fracas over the frakking vote.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Truss' government is in full meltdown as we speak.

[Juubi Karakuchi]

Truss has resigned.

[Crazedwraith]

That's certainly the shortest modern reign. If not one of the shortest of all time.

Gordon Brown will be happy

So Leadership election? There's some talk of just having a 'coronation' without going to the Tory membership.

What's the chances we get BoJo back?