UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has accused Conservative Party rebels of trying to stage a coup and “undermine” Prime Minister Liz Truss “in an unprofessional way” following the government’s U-turn on its mini-budget plan to scrap a 45% income tax rate for top earners, part of what The Guardian described as “open warfare” in the PM’s cabinet.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Braverman also pointed out that she was “disappointed” by the U-turn.
The home secretary was supported by Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke, a close Truss ally, who said that “Suella speaks a lot of good sense, as usual.”
Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, however, lashed out at Braverman over her remarks, saying that she doesn’t think it’s necessary for MPs to talk about coups.
“I think that sort of a language is just too inflammatory. People should be able to change their minds without the world coming to an end,” Badenoch asserted.
An array of backbench MPs, including Simon Hoare and Steve Double, made it clear that they had been standing by their constituents in opposing the abolition of the 45% income tax rate.
“Doing what we believe to be right for our constituents is not ‘a coup’ or unprofessional. It’s called doing our job as backbench MPs. If this is the approach the cabinet take, we’re in for a bumpy time,” Double argued, while Hoare insisted that “representing one’s constituents is not a coup.”
The remarks followed Truss telling Sky News on Tuesday that there was “absolutely no shame” in the government's U-turn on abolishing the highest rate of income tax. She claimed that scrapping the 45% rate paid on income over £150,000 per year showed that the government was listening to ordinary peoples' concerns.
This came after Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng conceded in his speech during the Conservative Party Conference that his mini-budget, which was announced on September 23, had caused "a little turbulence," adding that the government will forge a new deal to help ensure economic growth in the country.
The chancellor unveiling the mini-budget triggered a backlash from Conservative MPs amid ensuing financial turmoil, the pound plunging to a record low since 1971 and mortgage lenders pulling a spate of key deals.