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Truss to Face Perilous PMQs as Tories Reportedly Seek Help From Labour to Oust PM
Truss to Face Perilous PMQs as Tories Reportedly Seek Help From Labour to Oust PM
Sputnik International
Just six weeks after being appointed Prime Minister, Liz Truss is already facing calls from Tory backbenchers to quit following a series of U-turns that have... 19.10.2022, Sputnik International
2022-10-19T06:13+0000
2022-10-19T06:13+0000
2023-05-28T15:24+0000
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Beleaguered Liz Truss is facing a potentially “make or break” appearance in the Commons for a tough session of Prime Minister's Questions which could determine her survival in office, UK media reportedTruss, who has been desperately trying to shore up support for her leadership after sacking former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and ditching most of her debt-fueled tax-slashing economic agenda, is to face off against Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer in Parliament on Wednesday.The prime minister had vowed "absolutely" no spending cuts at PMQs a week ago.Since then, her newly appointed chancellor, Jeremey Hunt, parachuted into the job on October 14, scrapped more tax cuts in another government U-turn aimed at calming market turmoil. He also warned of spending cuts.As her Conservative Party plunges in the polls, Truss is under sustained pressure from her own Tory back benchers and the public. Even MPs still loyal to the PM are fearful that if her performance at PMQs becomes a repetition of the uninspiring eight-minute media briefing in Downing Street on October 14, she could be forced out in weeks.The emboldened Labour leader has already denounced the PM's sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng and subsequent U-turns by Jeremy Hunt as "grotesque chaos." After Liz Truss dodged a Commons showdown with Starmer on Monday due to “urgent business,” the leader of the opposition quipped: "The lady is not for turning up."With Penny Mordaunt standing in for her, the Labour leader said: "I guess under this Tory government, everybody gets to be prime minister for 15 minutes."An eve-of-PMQs reception at 10 Downing Street was ignored by around 30 Tory MPs from the 40 invited, according to Sky News. One of those who did attend, senior backbencher Mark Pritchard, was supportive of the PM, saying, "I don't think you have seen last of Liz Truss. I think she will lead us into next election." MP Ian Liddell-Grainger suggested that "changing horses at this stage would be ridiculous."'Help' to Oust TrussSo far, only five Conservative MPs have publicly called for Liz Truss to quit – Conservative MPs Crispin Blunt, Andrew Bridgen, and Jamie Wallis, Angela Richardson, the MP for Guildford, and Sir Charles Walker, former vice chairman of the 1922 Committee. However, frustration with the prime minister continues to grow among Conservative backbenchers. Behind the scenes, MPs are reportedly having informal discussions about who should be the UK's third prime minister this year.Among other things, Truss is reportedly facing a backbench rebellion over a government U-turn on pensions. After Downing Street refused to rule out an end to the triple lock, the former health minister, Maria Caulfield, was cited as saying: "Pensioners should not be paying the price for the cost of living crisis."The triple lock is a policy that ensures state pensions rise each year in line with inflation, average earnings or 2.5%, whichever is higher. The triple lock was both, a pledge in the 2019 Tory manifesto and Truss’ leadership campaign.The executive of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee is meeting after PMQs amid growing demands from MPs that it change a rule that protects a prime minister from a challenge for a year.The executive of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee is meeting after PMQs for its weekly meeting and is likely to discuss the issue of no-confidence letters. Briefings reportedly continued on Tuesday, with chairman of the committee, Sir Graham Brady, already said to have received up to 100 such letters. Although the threshold for letters is technically 54, the actual number needed to force Truss out is half the parliamentary party – 179. The fact is, the PM currently has one-year immunity from another confidence vote, putting additional pressure on Brady to rewrite party rules.In line with current policies, Truss can either leave of her own volition, or members of her top team of ministers could start resigning in order to force her hand - as was the case with Boris Johnson. The PM could be forced out with a change to the mechanism to remove a Conservative party leader. The latter is a decision that can be taken by the executive of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers. Some rebel Tories have even been seeking help from Labour MPs to oust Liz Truss, The Telegraph reported.One option is that the Labour Party could table a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons in the hope that Tory MPs would side with the opposition to vote against the Government, writes the outlet. If the government loses, the PM would be expected to resign or request a dissolution of Parliament, triggering an election. However, typically, Conservatives previously failed to side with the opposition Labour Party in such confidence votes to avoid an election, according to UK media analysts. Accordingly, a Labour source was quoted as saying:
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Truss to Face Perilous PMQs as Tories Reportedly Seek Help From Labour to Oust PM
06:13 GMT 19.10.2022 (Updated: 15:24 GMT 28.05.2023) Just six weeks after being appointed Prime Minister, Liz Truss is already facing calls from Tory backbenchers to quit following a series of U-turns that have all but annihilated sacked Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's budget, with speculation rife as to who might replace her.
Beleaguered Liz Truss is facing a potentially “make or break” appearance in the Commons for a tough session of Prime Minister's Questions which could determine her
survival in office, UK media reported
Truss, who has been desperately trying to shore up support for her leadership after sacking former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and ditching most of her debt-fueled tax-slashing economic agenda, is to face off against Labour party leader Sir Keir Starmer in Parliament on Wednesday.
The prime minister had vowed "absolutely" no spending cuts at PMQs a week ago.
“What we will make sure is that over the medium-term the debt is falling, but we will do that not by cutting public spending, but by making sure we spend public money well,” Truss said in her weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions at the time.
Since then, her newly appointed chancellor, Jeremey Hunt, parachuted into the job on October 14,
scrapped more tax cuts in another government U-turn aimed at calming market turmoil. He also warned of spending cuts.
As her Conservative Party
plunges in the polls, Truss is under sustained pressure from her own Tory back benchers and the public. Even MPs still loyal to the PM are fearful that if her performance at PMQs becomes a repetition of the uninspiring eight-minute media briefing in Downing Street on October 14, she could be
forced out in weeks.
The emboldened Labour leader has already denounced the PM's sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng and subsequent U-turns by Jeremy Hunt as "grotesque chaos." After Liz Truss dodged a Commons showdown with Starmer on Monday due to “urgent business,” the leader of the opposition quipped: "The lady is not for turning up."
With
Penny Mordaunt standing in for her, the Labour leader said: "I guess under this Tory government, everybody gets to be prime minister for 15 minutes."
An eve-of-PMQs reception at 10 Downing Street was ignored by around 30 Tory MPs from the 40 invited, according to Sky News. One of those who did attend, senior backbencher Mark Pritchard, was supportive of the PM, saying, "I don't think you have seen last of Liz Truss. I think she will lead us into next election."
MP Ian Liddell-Grainger suggested that "changing horses at this stage would be ridiculous."
18 October 2022, 05:55 GMT
So far, only five Conservative MPs have
publicly called for Liz Truss to quit – Conservative MPs Crispin Blunt, Andrew Bridgen, and Jamie Wallis, Angela Richardson, the MP for Guildford, and Sir Charles Walker, former vice chairman of the 1922 Committee. However, frustration with the prime minister continues to grow among Conservative backbenchers. Behind the scenes, MPs are reportedly having informal discussions about who should be the UK's third prime minister this year.
Among other things, Truss is reportedly facing a backbench rebellion over a government U-turn on pensions. After Downing Street refused to rule out an end to the triple lock, the former health minister, Maria Caulfield, was cited as saying: "Pensioners should not be paying the price for the cost of living crisis."
The triple lock is a policy that ensures state pensions rise each year in line with inflation, average earnings or 2.5%, whichever is higher. The triple lock was both, a pledge in the 2019 Tory manifesto and Truss’ leadership campaign.
18 October 2022, 16:20 GMT
The executive of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee is meeting after PMQs amid growing demands from MPs that it change a rule that protects a prime minister from a challenge for a year.
The executive of the powerful backbench 1922 Committee is meeting after PMQs for its weekly meeting and is likely to discuss the issue of no-confidence letters. Briefings reportedly continued on Tuesday, with chairman of the committee, Sir Graham Brady, already said to have received up to 100 such letters. Although the threshold for letters is technically 54, the actual number needed to force Truss out is half the parliamentary party – 179. The fact is, the PM currently has one-year immunity from another confidence vote, putting additional pressure on Brady to rewrite party rules.
In line with current policies, Truss can either leave of her own volition, or members of her top team of ministers could start resigning in order to force her hand - as was the case with Boris Johnson. The PM could be forced out with a change to the mechanism to remove a Conservative party leader. The latter is a decision that can be taken by the executive of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers. Some rebel Tories have even been seeking help from Labour MPs to oust Liz Truss, The Telegraph reported.
"Tories are speaking to us saying 'this is a complete nightmare and there is no way out.' We are being asked 'can't you do something about her?’" a Labour MP was cited as saying.
One option is that the Labour Party could table a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons in the hope that Tory MPs would side with the opposition to vote against the Government, writes the outlet. If the government loses, the PM would be expected to resign or request a dissolution of Parliament, triggering an election. However, typically, Conservatives previously failed to side with the opposition Labour Party in such confidence votes to avoid an election, according to UK media analysts. Accordingly, a Labour source was quoted as saying:
"There is very little Labour can do. Even a vote of no confidence doesn't have the constitutional standing that it used to. The Tory party are the ones that elected her, they need to get rid of her."
17 October 2022, 09:21 GMT
