Labour demand Truss must take questions from MPs after sacking chancellor
Labour is calling for Liz Truss to come before Parliament on Monday to face MPs, as pressure continues to build on the Prime Minister.
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Your support makes all the difference.Labour is calling on Liz Truss to come before Parliament on Monday to face MPs, as pressure continues to build on the Prime Minister.
The challenge to Ms Truss comes after she dramatically ditched a major chunk of the mini-budget and sacked Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor, replacing him with Jeremy Hunt, in a bid to restore credibility.
The new chancellor spent the weekend signalling that the country could be facing a package of tax rises and spending cuts, in a move that would make a complete reversal of the new Prime Minister’s promised economic vision.
Ms Truss and the new chancellor met in Chequers on Sunday, as the pair begin work on what will effectively be a new budget on October 31.
Sir Keir Starmer accused Ms Truss of being “in office but not in power”.
The Labour leader said: “Friday’s press conference completely failed to answer any of the questions the public has.
“Mortgages are rising and the cost-of-living crisis is being felt ever more acutely. The Conservative Government is currently the biggest threat to the security and the finances of families across the country.
“That’s why the Prime Minister must come to Parliament on Monday, to explain what she plans to do to turn the situation around.”
Friday saw Ms Truss give a brief press conference to explain her latest U-turn, with Mr Hunt left do to a weekend media blitz across TV and radio.
“If the Prime Minister won’t take questions from journalists, Liz Truss must at least take them from MPs representing the families whose livelihoods she’s putting at risk,” Sir Keir said.
If the Prime Minister does not agree to make a statement, Labour could try to force her to come to the Commons.
It comes ahead of what is likely to be another long week for Ms Truss, who is facing opposition, too, from within the ranks of her own party amid rumours of plots to remove her as leader.
On Sunday, Mr Hunt told the BBC: “She’s listened. She’s changed. She’s been willing to do that most difficult thing in politics, which is to change tack.
“What we’re going to do is to show not just what we want but how we’re going to get there.”