Blue on blue attacks, confusion over tax and spending plans and dogged determination to avoid apologising marked day three of the Conservative party conference in Birmingham.
A sense of a government in turmoil continued to be felt even after Monday’s U-turn over the chancellor’s controversial mini-budget. Key moments on Tuesday stemmed from at least five interviews given by Liz Truss to broadcasters, as well as interventions by other ministers, MPs and frustrated party activists.
Truss refuses to rule out benefits cuts
The scene was set for the coming hours in an interview – prerecorded with the Today programme on Monday – in which the prime minister refused to rule out real-terms benefit cuts to help pay for her government’s plans.
Mordaunt challenges the PM
Before the Today programme interview was broadcast, the leader of the Commons, Penny Mordaunt, told Times Radio that benefits should rise with inflation. “I’ve always supported – whether it’s pensions, whether it’s our welfare system – keeping pace with inflation. It makes sense to do so. That’s what I voted for before,” she said.
Members vent frustration at party chair
Tory members used a 10am fringe meeting with their party’s chair, Jake Berry, to vent their frustration at how MPs’ behaviour was affecting their local campaigning efforts. One Conservative member told Berry they are “sick and tired” of having to answer questions about MPs’ actions while canvassing for local votes.
Truss refuses to publicly endorse her chancellor
During an interview with Sky News at a Birmingham construction site, the prime minister twice refused to say she has confidence in Kwasi Kwarteng.
Given a second chance to say whether she had trust in him, she said: “I work very, very closely with my chancellor. We are focused on getting the economy growing.”
Braverman accuses Tory colleagues of staging “a coup” against Truss
Speaking at a conference fringe event at lunchtime, Suella Braverman claimed Tory MPs “staged a coup” against Truss when they forced her to abandon the 45% top rate of tax.
The home secretary also told a podcast by the Telegraph’s Chris Hope that Michael Gove, the influential former cabinet minister, was “airing dirty laundry” and called for him to stop.
Confusion over government’s tax and spending plan
Kwarteng told GB News his fiscal plan “will be on the 23rd” of November in an interview which led to confusion at lunchtime.
However, government sources were still saying that they are considering bringing it forward, and on Monday night there had been briefings from sources close to the leadership that it would be this month.
Truss refuses to apologise to homeowners facing rate hikes
The prime minister would not be drawn into an apology for the impact of the mini-budget on mortgage rates. Asked whether she would apologise to people whose mortgages went up, or who lost their mortgage deals, she told Channel 5 News: “I understand that times are very difficult.”
Pressed three more times for an apology to homeowners, she said on the final occasion: “Yes, I understand people are concerned about interest rates. There is a rising global cost of interest rates as a result of Putin’s war in Ukraine. The government will do all it can to help.”
Truss says public shouldn’t judge her as prime minister until end of next year.
The prime minister once again used an interview with Times Radio to emphasise that she saw the mini-budget’s package on energy prices as being hugely important to the public, adding: “… whilst at the same time getting on with getting Britain moving and growing our economy and delivering on new investment, new projects spent in the round, and I’d expect that to happen during 2023.”
Welsh secretary echoes Mordaunt’s implicit warning to Truss on benefits
Robert Buckland, the Welsh secretary, joined Mordaunt in signalling that he wants benefits to rise in line with inflation.
While Mordaunt said so explicitly, Buckland was a tiny bit more circumspect, telling BBC Newsnight’s Nick Watt: “Every Conservative government that I’ve been part of has maintained the safety net, and I’m sure this one will do the same.”
Truss says she still wants to cut 45% top rate of tax in principle
The prime minister revealed in an interview at the Birmingham conference that she harbours a possible ambition to bring back the controversial tax cut in the future.
“I would like to see the higher rate lower. I want us to be a competitive country but I have listened to feedback, I want to take people with me,” she told the BBC.
