Friday, 14 October
News update: Kwasi Kwarteng sacked as chancellor. Liz Truss press conference expected this afternoon.
Press conference disaster! Another U-turn, another chancellor. Nine agonising minutes of wishy-washy intentions with no substance and a performance that was anything but statesmanlike. She talks of the importance of fiscal responsibility – shame she didn’t realise the importance of this before the mini-budget! It is clear this is a woman who is unable to hold her own and unable to think on her feet. I’m angry that the party have allowed her to hold this press conference without stage-managing the event to perfection and without scripting and rehearsing answers. I’m so angry that I email my MP with a desperate plea for the party to prevent Liz from another car crash performance.
Saturday 15 October
Lots of talk and messages from friends and family about Liz being a puppet PM. Speculation around how long she has in office and the unlikelihood that the Tories will win the next election. How can we have gone from an 80-seat majority in 2019 to 30 points behind in the polls?
Monday 17 October
Another roller-coaster day. Jeremy Hunt makes quick work of binning the mini-budget giving a measured and confident performance in the Commons that appears to put the party back on a firm footing and hopefully closes the mini-budget chapter for good – thank heavens! But this all feels completely undermined by the constant speculation about Liz Truss’s leadership fuelled by her absence in parliament to answer the urgent question.
Wednesday 19 October
Home secretary quits! My immediate reaction is oh no, here we go again, is this the beginning of the cabinet quitting to get the PM out of office? The Boris ousting all over again.
The resignation letter is published. It’s a bizarre mix of an apology for a security mistake, hints that the PM should follow her example and resign for the mistakes she has made as well and then takes a swipe at the government’s policy. Reading between the lines – they’ve had a huge fallout and Cruella wants the top job!
Government wins the fracking vote but allegations of manhandling and bullying by senior government members in the voting lobbies. Jacob Rees-Mogg claims there was no bullying or manhandling but there was “excitable” behaviour. Something sinister about the icy calm way he insists nothing unusual or underhand went on. Can’t help but reflect that I would stand in whichever lobby he was not in!
Thursday 20 October
It’s clear, it’s all over. It’s an utter shambles. We have hit rock bottom. Liz has to go – today, right now. Get her out.
She quits! Hallelujah! Enormous sense of relief. Hoping the party unite around one candidate to avoid further infighting and reputation damage.
Friday 21 October
Rumours Boris will stand as a candidate. Please no! Pour myself a gin.
