Liz Truss will go down in history as one of the worst-ever UK Prime Ministers. In less than two months in post, she nearly crashed the economy and turned the country into an international laughing stock.
Her Government’s disastrous mini-budget saw her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng try to stuff money into the pockets of the rich with a series of unfunded tax cuts. The markets revolted and the economy was sent into a £30billion tailspin.
Many of the public spending cuts currently being pushed through are designed to correct the mistakes of her shocking tenure. Anyone with an ounce of self-respect would have issued an immediate apology, followed by a prolonged period of silence.
Truss, by contrast, has embarked on a bizarre attempt to rehabilitate herself by blaming her downfall on other forces. In an insulting interview, she blamed the “economic establishment” for undermining her.
As Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Will there ever be a Conservative willing to take responsibility for their own actions?”
Her self-pitying attack overlooks the fact the Treasury has been run by the Tories for 13 years and think tanks are dominated by right-wing voices. In our pay-to-play political culture, discredited right-wing ideas are regularly given unjustified exposure.
Truss was out of her depth in Downing Street and never good enough to be PM. The only thing she should have offered in the interview was a full-throated apology for her failures.
Waiting in pain
The massive backlog for NHS treatments has left too many Scots feeling anxious and insecure. The latest horror story involves Musselburgh man Martin Brown, who has endured agonising testicular pain for six years.
After waiting for surgery since June 2021, he eventually had an operation cancelled without any explanation. Martin says it affects every aspect of his life and he rarely ventures outside his home.
“The pain is incredible – it is as if I am being kicked between the legs every time I move. The pain goes into my stomach like a steel rod,” he said.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has apologised for the “unacceptable” treatment but deeds are what counts. Martin should receive the operation he needs as soon as possible, as should every other patient in pain.
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