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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Steph Brawn

SNP say no confidence letters are 'damning indictment' of Truss's 'disastrous' start

REPORTS of letters of no confidence in Liz Truss being sent to the 1922 Committee are a “damning indictment” of her first few weeks as Prime Minister, the SNP have said.

A Tory MP told Sky News on Monday that letters were already being sent to Sir Graham Brady - chair of the committee - following what the SNP describes as an “utterly indefensible” mini-budget from Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

The MP also said Truss is “f*****” with MPs fearing she is going to crash the economy.

The fiscal announcement by Kwarteng on Friday included lifting the cap on bankers' bonuses, cutting taxes for the highest earners, and scrapping the planned hike to corporation tax. 

Since then, the pound has plummeted to an all-time low against the US dollar which experts have warned could worsen the cost-of-living crisis.

SNP MP Pete Wishart insisted tales of attempts to bring down the Prime Minister less than three weeks after she moved in to Number 10 to replace Boris Johnson show the party is “rotten to the core” and Scotland must escape.

He said: “If these reports are true, they are a damning indictment on Liz Truss’s disastrous first few weeks as Prime Minister from within the ranks of the Tory party.

“The Prime Minister's mini-budget for the rich is utterly indefensible - the rich get richer while households and businesses struggle to make ends meet.

“Not even a month into the job and the new Prime Minister has delivered tax cuts for the mega-rich, scrapped the cap on bankers' bonuses, and crashed the pound - while millions of working families and those on the lowest incomes are left behind.

Attempts are allegedly already being made to turf Liz Truss out of Number 10, just a few weeks after she took officePete Wishart insists the Tory party are 'rotten to the core'

“As we have seen too many times in the last 12 years - it doesn’t matter which Tory is at the top, the party is rotten to the core. Scotland must be able to escape the chaos of Tory Westminster rule and assume the full powers of independence so we can continue to lead Scotland down a different and better path."

The National has asked the Scottish Conservatives whether any of their MPs have sent letters, but there has so far been no response.

Sterling hit its lowest level against the dollar since decimalisation in 1971 on Monday, falling by more than 4% to just $1.03 in early Asia trading before it regained some ground to about $1.07.

The euro also hit a fresh 20-year low amid recession and energy security fears ahead of what is expected to be a painful winter across Europe as the war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending.

Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said letters allegedly being sent into the 1922 Committee showed even the Tories can’t get behind Kwarteng and Truss’s “multi-billion pound giveaway to the rich”.

She added: "The past week has shown this Government to be morally bankrupt, and now it seems hell-bent on making the country bankrupt too.

"After 12 years of Tory mismanagement and failure, the economy is in crisis. Nobody thinks this multi-billion pound giveaway to the rich will do anything to help - not even the Tories implementing it.

“Truss’s attempt to asset-strip the country comes because the Conservatives have clearly run out of ideas for what do to with their failed Brexit strategy and failed austerity measures. It amounts to emptying the shop before doing a runner."

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