British Prime Minister Liz Truss has to answer questions from MPs for the first time since her about-face on tax policy in Parliament. There is a lot at stake for the Conservative leader this Wednesday in the House of Commons: a poor performance could further weaken the head of government and accelerate her downfall. The 47-year-old faces opposition leader Keir Starmer from the Labor Party, who are currently clearly leading in all polls. But what Truss fears most are members of her own faction.
The opposition had already demanded in vain on Monday that Truss should answer questions. The fact that the Prime Minister instead sent her new Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt ahead and listened wordlessly in Parliament as he gradually rolled back her recently announced tax cuts brought her ridicule and criticism.
The 180-degree turnaround in tax policy was considered inevitable after the simplifications presented without counter-financing had triggered severe turbulence on the financial markets. Ex-Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng therefore had to vacate his chair.
Majority of Conservatives want resignation
Even if the markets have calmed down a bit in the meantime, the head of government is already considered to be as good as finished six weeks after taking office. According to a poll, 80 percent of Brits have a negative opinion of her. More than half of Conservative members want their resignation.
At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Truss admitted he made a mistake. The tax breaks came too quickly and were too extensive, Truss said, according to a spokesman. However, she has assured that she remains fully committed to her growth agenda. Her predecessor Boris Johnson had repeatedly managed to liberate himself with strong performances in the House of Commons in times of crisis. Truss, however, is not considered particularly gifted in rhetoric.
Does the support remain audible?
As well as her own appearance at what is known as Prime Minister's Question Time (1pm BST), the level of support Truss is receiving from her MPs should also get a lot of attention. The Tories, as the Conservatives are also known in Britain, are known for loudly backing their party leaders in parliamentary debates. If that doesn't happen, that would be taken as a sign that they've lost support.
Five members of her parliamentary group had now publicly called for Truss to be replaced. According to media reports, many others have expressed their displeasure internally. It is expected, however, that before the prime minister is overthrown, the conservative faction will want to agree on a successor candidate in order to avoid another time-consuming selection process involving questioning of party members.
The favorite is ex-Treasury Minister Rishi Sunak, who lost to Truss in the race to succeed Johnson in the summer. Also considered promising are Secretary of Parliament Penny Mordaunt and Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace. Today's Treasury Secretary Hunt is also brought into play.
