Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng were nowhere to be seen today as their successors unveiled £55billion of spending cuts and tax hikes.
The former Prime Minister and her Chancellor skipped Jeremy Hunt ’s Autumn Statement in the Commons.
Just under eight weeks ago, Ms Truss sat on the frontbench watching Mr Kwarteng at the Despatch Box as he delivered their Plan for Growth - £45bn of unfunded tax cuts.
Their disastrous mini-Budget triggered a rise in mortgage rates as markets decided Britain could not be relied on to pay its debts.
Neither was seen in Parliament yesterday(THU) as Mr Hunt and Rishi Sunak tried to clear up the mess their predecessors unleashed.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Ms Truss was spotted leaving Wilton’s Restaurant in London’s Jermyn Street where six Loch Ryan native oysters cost £39, 30g of Iranian beluga caviar is £240 and lobster thermidor is £75.
Neither Ms Truss or Mr Kwarteng’s offices returned requests for comment.
The Tory Chancellor announced tens of billions of pounds in cuts and stealth hikes - which will create misery for millions - in the Autumn Statement.
And he said the UK is now in recession, based on the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts. The watchdog said GDP was to grow by 4.2% this year then falls 1.4% in 2023, before rising again by 1.3%, 2.6% and 2.7% in the following three years.
Household disposable income will plummet 7.1% in real terms over this year and next year put together, the OBR watchdog said - the biggest drop since recrds began in 1956. It will still be below pre-pandemic levels by 2028.
Average Council Tax bills will soar over £2,000 for a Band D home in April, as Mr Hunt allowed "flexibility" to raise bills by 5%.
And energy bills will rocket by £500 to an average £3,000 a year from April - nearly £2,000 higher than they were in 2021 - as the Energy Price Guarantee is made less generous.
Labour's Rachel Reeves blasted: “The Conservatives have picked the pockets of nurses and wallets of the entire country”.
