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Liz Truss is facing a fresh battle with Conservative MPs over a potential benefits squeeze and cuts to public spending, after already being forced into making a policy U-turn.

The prime minister is under pressure to set out whether benefit payments will be uprated in line with inflation, or if they will face a real-term cut.

It is understood that Downing Street is considering increasing Universal Credit using a lower metric, such as the increase in average earnings, instead.

Politics live: Major U-turn after prominent Tories speak out

While an official decision on benefit payments has still not been made, Welfare Secretary Chloe Smith said one “will be taken in due course”.

Senior Tories have called on the PM to row back on cutting public spending in the middle of the cost of living crisis, with concerns that failing to keep pace with rising prices would leave some of the poorest households worse off.

It comes as the government dramatically dropped its plans to abolish the 45% tax rate on earnings over £150,000 following widespread criticism.

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The policy was announced during the mini-budget near the end of September, which plunged UK markets into turmoil.

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Pound up after tax U-turn

What are MPs saying?

Speaking to Sky News, Conservative MP Damian Green said: “The government should uprate in line with inflation. The previous government said it was going to, so people are expecting this.”

Asked if cuts to benefits are the next battle, he replied: “Well, I hope not because I hope the government has clearly started listening.”

Former transport secretary Grant Shapps is also among the senior Tories calling for the government to be transparent about its plans.

Grant Shapps speaking to the media ahead of the Conservative Party annual conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Picture date: Monday October 3, 2022.
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Grant Shapps said the government must communicate clearly with the public

Asked if he would want to see benefits increased in line with inflation, he said: “Of course, every politician would want to see that.

“If there is a case whereby we are going to be going through difficult times, then the government must communicate that and be honest with people and explain how and what needs to happen next.”

Former home secretary Priti Patel is set to take aim over the government’s unfunded tax cuts, telling the Conservative Party it will “live or die” by its economic credibility.

According to The Times, she is expected to accuse the PM and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng of “spending today with no thought of tomorrow” and will call on Ms Truss to put a “ceiling” on public spending.

Read more:
First part of Truss’ reign is over – is there any way back from 45p tax rate U-turn?

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Is there any way back for Kwarteng?

‘Action was needed urgently’

Despite the discontent within the Conservative Party, Liz Truss has pushed forward with her economic policy, saying the UK must have “the courage of its convictions to put our nation on the path to success”.

Writing in the Telegraph, the prime minister said the struggling economy was a global problem caused by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and COVID and that there was “no time to waste”.

“Action was needed urgently. People forget the counterfactual of what would have happened had we not acted,” she wrote.

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‘What a day!’ – Chancellor admits ‘tough time’

While she dismissed the U-turn on the 45p tax rate cut as a “tiny part of the plan”, reports in The Sun said that the Chairman of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady went to see her at 7pm on Sunday evening.

The PM was then said to have met Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng for crisis talks, hours before she ditched the tax promise on Monday morning.

Monday was a tumultuous day for the party, with Mr Kwarteng’s keynote conference speech altered at the last minute to acknowledge the U-turn.

Hours after his speech, it was revealed Mr Kwarteng will bring forward his medium-term financial statement from 23 November to this month, despite saying he would not earlier in the day.

Markets bounced back on Monday morning, but financial commentators cautioned that it was likely some respite only.

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‘We have a plan and we need to deliver it’

What will be happening at the Tory Conference today?

The Conservatives will be hoping for a quiet day on Tuesday ahead of Liz Truss’ speech on Wednesday.

In his first speech as foreign secretary, James Cleverly is expected to focus on the UK helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

He will also talk about finding a “mutually beneficial solution” to Brexit issues in Northern Ireland.

New Home Secretary Suella Braverman will also speak on Tuesday, setting out her plans to “redouble efforts to crack down on illegal migration”.

Education Secretary Kit Malthouse, Health Secretary and Deputy PM Therese Coffey, Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis will also address the conference in Birmingham.

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Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs – prompting a stock sell-off

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Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs - prompting a stock sell-off

Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada have come into effect, as has an additional 10% on Chinese products, bringing the total import tax to 20%.

The US president confirmed the tariffs in a speech at the White House – and his announcement sent US and European stocks down sharply.

The tariffs will be felt heavily by US companies which have factories in Canada and Mexico, such as carmakers.

Mr Trump said: “They’re going to have a tariff. So what they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.”

There’s “no room left” for a deal that would see the tariffs shelved if fentanyl flowing into the US is curbed by its neighbours, he added.

Mexico and Canada face tariffs of 25%, with 10% for Canadian energy, the Trump administration confirmed.

And tariffs on Chinese imports have doubled, raising them from 10% to 20%.

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Canada announced it would retaliate immediately, imposing 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$30bn (£16.3bn). It added the tariffs would be extended in 21 days to cover more US goods entering the country if the US did not lift its sanctions against Canada.

China also vowed to retaliate and reiterated its stance that the Trump administration was trying to “shift the blame” and
“bully” Beijing over fentanyl flows.

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What is America’s trade position?

Mr Trump’s speech stoked fears of a trade war in North America, prompting a financial market sell-off.

Stock market indexes the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.48% and 2.64% respectively on Monday.

The share prices for automobile companies including General Motors, which has significant truck production in Mexico, Automaker and Ford also fell.

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Consumers in the US could see price hikes within days, an expert has said.

Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University, New York, said “the automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences”.

This is due to supply chains that “crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process” and ” because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he added.

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The Trump administration is gearing up to bring in other tariffs in the coming weeks.

On 2 April, reciprocal tariffs will take effect on all countries that impose duties on US products.

He is also considering 25% tariffs on goods from the EU “very soon” after claiming the bloc was created to “screw the United States”.

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More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash – second deadly collision within days

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More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash - second deadly collision within days

A truck has collided with a bus in southern Bolivia, killing at least 31 people, according to police – just two days after a deadly crash claimed at least 37 lives.

Officers said the bus rolled some 500m (1,640ft) down a ravine after the collision on Monday, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.

The driver of the truck has been arrested, while the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Police spokesperson Limbert Choque said men and women were among the dead, and 22 people suffered injuries.

** on right of picture are bodies ** First responders work at the site after a crash between a vehicle and a bus along a highway in Lenas, Potosi, southern Bolivia, March 3, 2025, in this handout image obtained from social media. Bolivia's Attorney General/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
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Rescue teams operating at the site of the crash. Pic: Bolivia’s attorney general/Reuters

Bolivia’s President, Luis Arce, expressed condolences for the victims on social media: “This unfortunate event must be investigated to establish responsibilities,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“We send our most sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wishing them the necessary strength to face these difficult times.”

Map showing location of collision, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.
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The crash happened between Oruro and Potosi

On Saturday morning, a crash between two buses killed more than three dozen people in the same region.

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It happened between Colchani and the city of Uyuni, a major tourist attraction and the world’s largest salt flat.

People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in the crash.
Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command
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People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in a crash on Saturday. Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command

Coincidentally, one of the buses was heading to Oruro, where one of the most important carnival celebrations in Latin America is currently taking place.

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More than 30 people were also killed after a bus crash on 17 February.

In that crash, police said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 800m (2,600ft) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla.

Bolivia’s mountainous, undermaintained and poorly supervised roads are some of the deadliest in the world, claiming an average 1,400 fatalities every year.

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The Pope has had ‘two episodes of acute respiratory failure’, Vatican says

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The Pope has had 'two episodes of acute respiratory failure', Vatican says

The Pope has had two episodes of “acute respiratory failure”, the Vatican has said.

The 88-year-old has been in hospital since 14 February with a severe respiratory infection that triggered other complications.

The Vatican said the respiratory failures were caused by “significant accumulation” of mucus in his lungs and a “bronchospasm”, akin to an asthma attack.

Doctors were then required to perform two bronchoscopies – a test which sees medics use a long, thin, telescope with a light to look into the lungs – to evaluate the Pope’s air passages, the statement said.

“In the afternoon, non-invasive mechanical ventilation was resumed,” the Vatican continued. “The Holy Father has always remained vigilant, oriented and collaborative. The prognosis remains reserved.”

Vatican sources said the situation had been calm this morning, before becoming worse this afternoon.

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Behind the scenes at the Vatican

The respiratory issues the Pope suffered today are due to an ongoing infection rather than a new one but he is not out of danger, they added.

Asked if the Pope is in good spirits, they gave no answer. When asked if the Vatican’s apartment is getting ready to welcome Francis back, the source said it was too premature to discuss this.

His clinical picture remains complex, they said.

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Earlier on Monday, Pope Francis issued a written message after Vatican officials begged him to let his voice be heard following more than two weeks out of public view.

He thanked his doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers, before praying for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.

“From here, war appears even more absurd,” he wrote.

Catholic faithful attend a nightly rosary prayer for the health of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
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People at a nightly rosary prayer for the Pope in St. Peter’s Square yesterday evening. Pic: AP

This has become the longest public absence of his 12-year papacy.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski presided over the evening rosary prayer in St Peter’s Square on Sunday night.

“Let us pray together with the entire church for the health of the Holy Father Francis,” he said.

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