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Kwasi Kwarteng’s stint as chancellor was perhaps as short as his rise to the top of politics was swift.

Mr Kwarteng was promoted to chancellor by Liz Truss on 6 September from his previous post as business secretary under Boris Johnson.

Within 38 days he had been sacked, his downfall set in motion by the economic turmoil unleashed by his mini-budget.

Kwarteng returns to backbenches – politics updates

He insisted his tax-cutting mini-budget was the best way to encourage growth, saying the turmoil in the UK economy was part of global pressures caused by the Ukraine war and the pandemic recovery.

But after open revolt among Tory MPs and a surge in the polls for Labour forced U-turns on two of his major policies, the prime minister decided it was time for him to go.

Mr Kwarteng is not used to failure, rising up the political ranks fairly quickly after becoming an MP in 2010 – although that did take a few attempts.

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He is also no stranger to causing controversy and sticking to his guns.

There are multiple reports of him clashing with the Treasury – he vocally backed Owen Paterson during the lobbying scandal that engulfed the former MP, and he has come in for criticism for defending visiting foreign autocratic regimes, saying it was better than “shouting from the sidelines”.

Although he won his seat on a David Cameron/George Osborne ticket, he upset his bosses by advocating cutting the VAT rate to 15% by adding the charge to children’s clothes and food, and also criticised the chancellor’s Help to Buy housing scheme as inflationary.

But his close friendship with Ms Truss – with the pair even becoming neighbours on the same street in Greenwich – secured him a spot not only in the Treasury, but in history as the first black chancellor of the UK.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng attend the annual Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Britain, October 2, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Eton to the City

Mr Kwarteng was born in 1975 in Waltham Forest, east London to Alfred and Charlotte, who had emigrated from Ghana to the UK as students in the 1960s and became an economist and barrister respectively.

An only child, he attended a state primary school before his parents sent him to a private school.

He then won a scholarship to Eton College before heading to Trinity College, Cambridge where he achieved a first-class degree in classics and history – and was also a member of its winning University Challenge team.

After Cambridge, he won another scholarship to Harvard University then returned to Cambridge to study for a PhD in economic history.

Britannia Unchained on tour....#unplugged #unleashed #howthelightgetsin #festivalvibes. Pic: Liz Truss/Instagram
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Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng have been close friends for years. Pic: Liz Truss/Instagram

His first career was as a journalist, writing columns for the Daily Telegraph, before he headed to the City where he worked as a financial analyst for big companies such as JP Morgan.

He ran for the seat of Brent East in the 2005 general election but came in third.

Mr Kwarteng then moved to chair one of the oldest think tanks in the UK, the Bow Group and in 2008 made the Conservative list of candidates for the London Assembly in 2008, but didn’t manage to secure a place.

In 2010, he secured a comfortable 22,000 majority in Spelthorne, Surrey, and had been on the rise since.

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

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Diogo Jota: Liverpool players join mourners as Premier League star and his brother Andre Silva buried in Portugal

Liverpool players past and present have joined the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva for their funeral in Portugal.

A service was held in the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in their hometown of Gondomar near Porto in northern Portugal on Saturday morning.

Mourners lined the streets and some in the crowd clapped as the brothers’ coffins were carried into the church.

The funeral – in pictures


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk arrives on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his b
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Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk. Pic: Reuters

Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
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Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. Pic: PA

Jota, 28, leaves behind his wife of only 11 days, Rute Cardoso, and three young children.

His younger brother, 25, was an attacking midfielder for Penafiel in the second tier of Portuguese football.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, captain Virgil Van Dijk and teammates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez were seen at the service.

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Former teammates Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho were also there.

Van Dijk carried a red wreath with Jota’s number 20, while Robertson had a wreath featuring number 30, Silva’s number at Penafiel.

Diogo Jota funeral
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Manchester United and Portugal player Bruno Fernandes. Pic: PA


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool’s player Andrew Robertson. Pic: Reuters

Some of Jota’s teammates in the Portuguese national side also attended, including Bruno Fernandes, of Manchester United, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester City, Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, of Chelsea, Nelson Semedo, from Wolves, Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio.

Ruben Neves was one of the pallbearers after flying in from Florida where he played for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Friday night.

‘More than a friend’

In a post published on Instagram before the service, he told Jota he had been “more than a friend, we’re family, and we won’t stop being that way just because you’ve decided to sign a contract a little further away from us!”

Jota’s fellow Liverpool midfielder, Alexis Mac Allister, said on Instagram: “I can’t believe it. I’ll always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your camaraderie, and everything that made you a person. It hurts so much; we’ll miss you. Rest in peace, dear Diogo.”

Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez were also in attendance.

‘With us forever’

Speaking after the ceremony, Martinez said the period since their deaths had been “really, really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed we are a large, close family.

“Their spirit will be with us forever.”

The service was private, but the words spoken by the Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, were broadcast to those standing outside the church.

He told Jota’s children, who were not at the service, that he was praying for them specifically, as well as their mother and grandparents.

“There are no words, but there are feelings,” he said, adding: “We also suffer a lot and we are with you emotionally.”

The brothers died after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning.

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No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident.

Liverpool have delayed the return of their players for pre-season following Jota’s death and players past and present paid tribute to him and his brother on social media.

Flowers have been left outside Anfield, where flags have been lowered to half-mast and all club shops, museums and tours have been closed until Monday.

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Rachel Reeves has hinted that taxes are likely to be raised this autumn after a major U-turn on the government’s controversial welfare bill.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill passed through the House of Commons on Tuesday after multiple concessions and threats of a major rebellion.

MPs ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to universal credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

Initially aimed at saving £5.5bn, it now leaves the government with an estimated £5.5bn black hole – close to breaching Ms Reeves’s fiscal rules set out last year.

Read more:
Yet another fiscal ‘black hole’? Here’s why this one matters

Success or failure: One year of Keir in nine charts

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Rachel Reeves’s fiscal dilemma

In an interview with The Guardian, the chancellor did not rule out tax rises later in the year, saying there were “costs” to watering down the welfare bill.

“I’m not going to [rule out tax rises], because it would be irresponsible for a chancellor to do that,” Ms Reeves told the outlet.

More on Rachel Reeves

“We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement.

“So we’ll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that, ahead of the Commons vote on the welfare bill, Ms Reeves told cabinet ministers the decision to offer concessions would mean taxes would have to be raised.

The outlet reported that the chancellor said the tax rises would be smaller than those announced in the 2024 budget, but that she is expected to have to raise tens of billions more.

It comes after Ms Reeves said she was “totally” up to continuing as chancellor after appearing tearful at Prime Minister’s Questions.

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Why was the chancellor crying at PMQs?

Criticising Sir Keir for the U-turns on benefit reform during PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, and questioned whether she would remain in post until the next election.

Sir Keir did not explicitly say that she would, and Ms Badenoch interjected to say: “How awful for the chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”

In her first comments after the incident, Ms Reeves said she was having a “tough day” before adding: “People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday.

“Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.”

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Reeves is ‘totally’ up for the job

Sir Keir also told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on Thursday that he “didn’t appreciate” that Ms Reeves was crying in the Commons.

“In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang,” he said. “That’s what it was yesterday.

“And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that’s just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation.”

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Diogo Jota and Andre Silva’s funeral in pictures

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Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's funeral in pictures

The family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have been joined by Liverpool stars past and present and other Portuguese players at the pair’s funeral near Porto.

The Liverpool forward, 28, and his brother died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.

Pictures below show the funeral at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in the town of Gondomar near Porto. Click here for our liveblog coverage of the day’s events.

Jota's wife Rute Cardoso arrives for the funeral of him and his brother his brother Andre Silva. Pic: Reuters
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Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso arrives for the funeral of him and his brother Andre Silva. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portug
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Liverpool players Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson arrive for the funeral. Pic: Reuters

Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive for the funeral of Diogo Jota. Pic: Reuters
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Van Dijk carried a wreath with Jota’s number 20 while Andrew Robertson’s had a 30 for Andre Silva. Pic: Reuters


Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk arrives on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his b
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. Pic: Reuters

Portugal's Ruben Neves arrives at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva being held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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Portugal player Ruben Neves arrives at the funeral. Pic: PA

Liverpool's Joe Gomez and Arne Slot arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva being held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and manager Arne Slot arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. Pic; PA

Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
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Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo (right) arrive at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva

Manchester City and Portugal player Bernardo Silva arrives at the funeral of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva being held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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Manchester City and Portugal player Bernardo Silva arrives at the funeral. Pic: AP

The coffins of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva are brought into the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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The coffins are carried to the church. Pic: PA

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Miguell Rocha played with Jota for around ten years with Gondomar Sport Clube in Portugal.

People line up as they wait to enter at a church where the bodies of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andr.. Silva have been brought for a wake and funeral in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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People line up to enter the church. Pic: AP


Pallbearers carry the coffins of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash near
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Pallbearers carry the coffins of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva

Pallbearers carry the coffins of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash near Z
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Pic: Reuters

People crowd outside the church during the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother Andr.. Silva, in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Pic: AP


People gather outside the Chapel of the Resurrection, on the day of the funeral ceremony of Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota
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People gather outside the Chapel of the Resurrection. Pic: Reuters

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The former captain was seen wiping away tears as he read messages and laid his tribute down.

Fans pay their respects outside Anfield Stadium, on the day of the funeral of Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota in Portugal, in Liverpool,
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Fans pay their respects outside Anfield in Liverpool. Pic: Reuters


A board displays a picture of Liverpool soccer player Diogo Jota as tribute on the day of his funeral in Portugal, outside Anfield Stadium
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A board with a picture of Diogo Jota outside Anfield Stadium. Pic: PA

The coffins of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva are brought into the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the town of Gondomar near Porto. The Liverpool and Portugal forward died along with his younger brother Andre Silva in the accident in Zamora on Thursday morning. Picture date: Saturday July 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: PA Wire.
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The coffins are carried to the church. Pic: PA

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