UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

LOL, what are the odds that she doesn't even beat either of the 2 Prime Ministers who started in 1827 for tenure?

[Torrain]

Kwarteng is flying home early from the IMF…

No explanation has been given why he’s ’hurtling home’ (to use the BBC’s political editors wording) a day early, but he’s expected to go see Truss as soon as he’s back in London, later this morning.

[EastAnglianLefty]

The Times is reporting discussions of a Sunak/Mordaunt “joint ticket” to replace Truss.

The Tories have actually gained a seat in a council by-election tonight, in Waltham Abbey, Essex, but it was a very odd by-election where the only other candidate was the Green ex-councillor whose disqualification for non-attendance caused the by-election.

They've gained another one in Leicester East, which is even odder because it's Leicester East.

[TheTide]

Kwarteng is flying home early from the IMF…

No explanation has been given why he’s ’hurtling home’ (to use the BBC’s political editors wording) a day early, but he’s expected to go see Truss as soon as he’s back in London, later this morning.

There's been a lot of tracking the planes on which public figures are on recently - see the RAF plane that flew to Balmoral last month.

[YL]

The Times is reporting discussions of a Sunak/Mordaunt “joint ticket” to replace Truss.

The Tories have actually gained a seat in a council by-election tonight, in Waltham Abbey, Essex, but it was a very odd by-election where the only other candidate was the Green ex-councillor whose disqualification for non-attendance caused the by-election.

They've gained another one in Leicester East, which is even odder because it's Leicester East.

Well, yes: it appears that the Labour candidate (who came third, with the Greens surging past them into second) was an open supporter of the BJP.  If I didn’t already have the impression that Leicester East CLP was a complete basket case and that Claudia Webbe’s sentence being downgraded below the recall threshold avoided a very awkward by-election, I do now.

[Cassius]

As a historical curio, if the unthinkable does happen and Truss does get rolled, this will be the first ‘Year of the Three PM’s’ since 1868, where we started off with the Earl of Derby, followed up with Disraeli and ended with Gladstone in office at year end (although there were three ministries in 1886, with a brief Gladstone ministry sandwiched between two led by Lord Salisbury).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

As a historical curio, if the unthinkable does happen and Truss does get rolled, this will be the first ‘Year of the Three PM’s’ since 1868, where we started off with the Earl of Derby, followed up with Disraeli and ended with Gladstone in office at year end (although there were three ministries in 1886, with a brief Gladstone ministry sandwiched between two led by Lord Salisbury).

Total side note but how do you feel about Salisbury? I assume there's a lot more to the guy than "generic Victorian Tory marquess" given that he was Attlee's immediate no-brainer choice for best PM of his lifetime, and I'd be interested in hearing a take on him from someone on the British right.

[Torrain]

Shot:

“Putting up corporation tax at a time when we’re trying to attract investment to this country isn’t going to deliver growth. We need to be competitive”. - Liz Truss, 20th September.

Chaser:
https://twitter.com/benrileysmith/status/1580864760073326593

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1580868139692134400

[YL]

Bus drivers in Staines should watch out in case anybody attempts to throw someone under one of their vehicles today.

[Torrain]

The fact we're going to have our fourth chancellor in 4 months* is just insane. The Conservatives can now barely govern themselves, let alone the country.

*Sunak, Zahawi, Kwarteng, ___.

[Blair]

Oh my this is too funny.

It also shows she is aware of just how in the sh**t she is- this isn’t a u-turn on economic policy alone but rather her entire political project. Her Government is dead if she is forced to appoint some form of ‘Dr No’ as Chancellor.

This for the record is why you shouldn’t do policy commitments in leadership bids when you’re in Government- on reflection its clear why Gove and others were so explicit about it being mad.

[Blair]

Remember when they briefed that everyone had to wear a tie in Downing Street now and it was all very serious.

Madness.

[TheTide]

Would what be the point of her continuing? This is like if Thatcher had sacked Howe for being too monetarist, and unlike Thatcher she doesn't appear to have any electoral appeal.

[Mike88]

The lady's not for... well, nevermind, I'm for turning, flipping, twirling, handstanding.

[Zinneke]

Would what be the point of her continuing? This is like if Thatcher had sacked Howe for being too monetarist, and unlike Thatcher she doesn't appear to have any electoral appeal.

The point of her continuing is that she is a vile feckless fcukwitted hypergamist who got her way to the top job for the fancy cars and name in history books and all this ideological stuff is just fluff in her dimwitted brain.

Kwarteng has a similar Machiavellian position though : he is falling on his sword and will no doubt be acclaimed by the Telegraph reading faux-intellectual libertarians and heterdox economists that are kept in the basement for his mini-budget. He'll be given a column or a think tank position.

[Torrain]

Need to double-check some of the dates, but assuming we end up with a new chancellor (and not a retread) I think Rachel Reeves has equalled Harold Wilson and John Smith for 'most chancellors shadowed' at four.

Good chance she breaks the record at this rate - she's only been in position for one year, compared to the 4-5 years the others served in the shadow cabinet.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

https://twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1580868139692134400

Last thirty seconds of Brief Encounter playing out in the Truss–O'Leary household this afternoon, I'm sure.

[Earthling]

As a historical curio, if the unthinkable does happen and Truss does get rolled, this will be the first ‘Year of the Three PM’s’ since 1868, where we started off with the Earl of Derby, followed up with Disraeli and ended with Gladstone in office at year end (although there were three ministries in 1886, with a brief Gladstone ministry sandwiched between two led by Lord Salisbury).

The last one also goes for 1924 with MacDonald sandwiched in between the first and second Baldwin-term.

[Earthling]

If the Labour Party calls for a vote of no-confidence, how many conservatives will be voting for it, at this point?

I love British politics but even as a not-Brit I can almost feel the shame. This is just so painfull.

[Torrain]

While we're doing weird chancellor statistics - the Conservatives have now had more Chancellors in 2022, than Labour have had in total since 1967.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1580868139692134400

Last thirty seconds of Brief Encounter playing out in the Truss–O'Leary household this afternoon, I'm sure.

The remake we probably deserve for electing*this omnishambles, but not the one anyone wanted.

*Sort of. Technically. 

[Earthling]

While we're doing weird chancellor statistics - the Conservatives have now had more Chancellors in 2022, than Labour have had in total since 1967.

Only one more and the Conservatives will, in12/13 years, have just as many Chancellors as the Labour Party had in it's entire history.

[Torrain]

Rumour doing the rounds (via the Times news team) is now that Truss will clear out most/all of the juniour Treasury ministers too, and that Hunt is the frontrunner to become Chancellor.

Not sure whether even Jeremy Hunt wants to take on that most poisoned of chalices.

[CumbrianLefty]

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th shortest serving Chancellors have occurred under the last two Tory PMs.

(Iain Macleod - the actual record holder - died a month after the Tories won the 1970 GE)