‘It can’t go on like this’ – it looks to be over for PM Truss | Beth Rigby

Published

3 years ago

October 17, 2022

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It looks to be over.

Jeremy Hunt’s decision to not just junk most of Liz Truss’s tax-cutting plan but go further and ditch much of her flagship energy policy signalled the end of not only “Trussonomics”, but potentially the prime minister herself.

When the end comes is unclear: Ms Truss may have been bought some time by the fact the markets settled after the new chancellor threw her plans on the bonfire.

Hunt goes further than expected – as Tory MPs say it’s ‘when not if’ Truss goes – follow latest on politics

But with her policies demolished and her first choice of chancellor sacked, there’s no firewall left now between the PM and her fuming parliamentary party.

What’s more, the public appear to have made up their minds – Liz Truss has the worst ratings of any prime minister ever, according to polling last week.

She has reached, say many, a point of no return. From cabinet ministers to MPs, the mutterings are ominous: “It can’t go on like this,” one senior figure told me.

And an increasing number of Conservative MPs are willing to make this view public. Five MPs have now called on Ms Truss to resign.

‘I’ve just had enough – I don’t think her position is tenable’

In an interview with me earlier today, Sir Charles Walker told me he didn’t think her position was recoverable, as he laid bare some of the anguish that MPs are privately feeling behind closed doors.

“The PM has had a very torrid six weeks. Personally, I don’t think her position is tenable. She would take a different view. But if you read the mood of the parliamentary party, she has lost authority,” he said.

“You can’t lead the party if you don’t have some authority,” the former member of the 1922 executive committee told me.

He also said that the party had been “so catastrophically incompetent”, it was difficult to see the party winning an election.

“I’m just so cross. I’ve just had enough. I think quite a few of my colleagues have had enough. I’ll be dismissed as tired and emotional. Yes, I am tired and emotional. And I am angry. And I’m in the same place as many friends, family, and constituents.”

As for the future of Ms Truss, Sir Charles said the PM would either have to stand down or be forced out, as he predicted there would be a new prime minister by November.

“I think it’s her decision right now. I think if she doesn’t go right now, it will not be her decision. That agency will be taken away from her.”

When I asked Mr Walker how long he thought she had got, he said simply: “A week or two.”

So we move from a question of can she survive to what comes next. A group of former cabinet ministers, now senior backbenchers, are in discussions as to how they might end the Truss regime and what might follow.

“The country is in serious trouble, and we have to get a grip of this,” says one former cabinet minister familiar with the discussions.

Hunt, Sunak or Johnson for PM?

Some of the protagonists are plain to see and have been publicly agitating: Treasury select committee chairman, Mel Stride; former cabinet ministers Michael Gove, Grant Shapps, Julian Smith and Mark Harper, but there are plenty more operating in the shadows.

But the divisions that have riven this party remain, and MPs are already split over who should replace Liz Truss.

Two senior party figures tell me one option is to put Jeremy Hunt into the hot seat, but a Rishi Sunak supporter tells me that the role has to go to the runner-up in this summer’s leadership election, who won the support of 137 MPs in the final parliamentary ballot.

Another Sunak supporter points out that it is “Rishi’s policies that are now being implemented by a PM who disavowed them. It is entirely unprecedented”.

But for those in the party – MPs and party members – who backed Boris Johnson, Mr Sunak is an anathema.

“I just don’t think it would work,” says one senior Johnson ally.

“He brought down Boris Johnson who had an elected mandate, I don’t think people will accept him.”

Instead, these key Johnson supporters want the return of the former PM.

Nadine Dorries went on Twitter on Monday to say the only option is to stick with Liz Truss or bring back the man with the mandate, Boris Johnson.

This is a view shared by others in the party. As another Johnson supporter put it to me: “He’s the one who won the mandate and he’s the only credible option if we want to avoid having a general election in the spring.”

For his part, I hear the former PM is still pretty angry about the way he was brought down, but it is worth remembering there remains a huge chunk of the parliamentary party that would find it near impossible to accept this return.

Ms Truss supporters hope that these divisions at least help buy her time. As one cabinet minister told me today: “The appointment of Jeremy Hunt buys her some space.”

Another told me that the emergency statement and “more settled markets have helped calm nerves”.

And Ms Truss will try to fight back. As she tries to shore up support and sell her U-turn, meetings are being held with parliamentary colleagues, from the One Nation Conservative caucus tonight, to the European Research Group, which represents her main base in the parliamentary party, tomorrow.

How could Liz Truss be removed from office?

But the PM and her team will know there are various ways that she could be removed from office.

Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 committee, could visit the prime minister and tell her she no longer commands the support of the parliamentary party. The question is where does he set that threshold?

Confidence votes are typically triggered when 15% of MPs write letters to Sir Graham expressing a view that they want the leader gone, but the new prime minister is protected from a confidence vote for a year.

If enough letters go in, however, that could change. MPs have suggested to me that if 100 or more were submitted, Sir Graham Brady might feel compelled to tap Ms Truss on the shoulder.

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And if she won’t go, the party could change the rules.

Under those scenarios, the prime minister either agrees to stand down – as happened with Theresa May – or is forced out by the parliamentary party under changed rules.

In practice, as Mr Johnson himself put it as he stood down as PM, “once the herd moves, it moves” – if enough MPs and members of government withdraw support, a prime minister simply cannot stay on.

There are no good options for Liz Truss or her party. MPs can sit on their hands and let Jeremy Hunt act as de facto prime minister, or force her out with all the difficulty that entails around succession and the public mandate.

But what is clear now is that the Truss premiership failed, and she cannot lead the Tories into the next general election.

We wait for the herd to move.

UK

Nearly 500 arrested in London as pro-Palestine protest goes ahead despite pleas

Published

6 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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Nearly 500 arrested in London as pro-Palestine protest goes ahead despite pleas

Nearly 500 people have been arrested over protests supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action, as demonstrators defied calls to reconsider in the wake of the Manchester synagogue terror attack.

Two days after the attack in Crumpsall, crowds of people gathered in central London on Saturday to call on the government to reverse the ban on the proscribed group.

Organisers of the protest, Defend Our Juries, said 1,000 people attended the event to “oppose genocide and the Palestine Action ban”.

The Metropolitan Police said 492 people had been arrested, with the youngest being 18 and the eldest 89. The force said 297 remain in custody and the rest have been bailed.

Before the demonstration even began, six people were arrested for unfurling banners which read “I oppose genocide” and “I support Palestine Action” on Westminster Bridge.

The bulk of the arrests were made in Trafalgar Square, where protesters held placards showing their support for Palestine Action, which was added to the UK’s list of proscribed terrorist groups in July.

The Met said a different group of protesters also gathered in Whitehall before trying to make their way to Trafalgar Square.

Many of those arrested throughout the day were older individuals. Pictures showed people with walking sticks or in wheelchairs being supported by police, while others were physically carried to a processing pen after failing to cooperate with officers.

One protester, 62-year-old Mike Higgins, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, told the PA news agency: “We are going to win this battle, by the way, there’s no doubt about that. The problem for me is that I want to win it now to try and bring an end to the suffering in Palestine.”

The Metropolitan Police had urged the Defend Our Juries group to postpone the event in light of the synagogue attack.

Chief of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, said he was worried resources would be stretched and the ability of the force to protect communities would be compromised as a result of the protest.

In a statement on X on Saturday morning, Sir Keir Starmer also said anyone thinking of protesting should “recognise and respect the grief of British Jews”, while Jewish figures called the action “phenomenally tone deaf”.

In a letter to Ade Adelekan, the deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Defend Our Juries said the protest would continue as planned as “the protection of our democracy and the prevention of countless deaths are critical issues”.

The controversial decision drew criticism from policing minister Sarah Jones, who said many of those attending the event “want to be arrested, that is their aim”.

She said: “We believe in people’s rights to protest. This protest here in London is a different order of event because people are supporting a proscribed organisation and the police have to step in, in that case.”

A similar event held by the group, Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, took place earlier on Saturday in Manchester. Instead of marching in support of Palestine Action, the event was to “honour the names of Palestinian children brutally killed by Israel in Gaza”.

A crowd of around 100 pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the city’s Cathedral to listen to speakers before moving en masse to St Peter’s Square.

People were heard chanting “Free Palestine!” while a small group of counter-protesters marched in front shouting “release the hostages”.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) did not say if any arrests were made.

Away from the protests, GMP said four of the six people arrested in connection to the synagogue terror attack will remain in custody for up to another five days.

The force said the custody extension applies to two men, aged 30 and 32, and two women, aged 61 and 46.

An 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man have been released and will face no further action.

GMP said all six people had been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

UK

Police given extra time to question four arrested over Manchester synagogue terror attack

Published

6 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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Police given extra time to question four arrested over Manchester synagogue terror attack

Police have been granted extra time to question four people who were arrested in connection with the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester.

Three men remain in hospital after the car and knife attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday.

Jihad al Shamie, 35, who was on bail for an alleged rape, was shot by police as he launched the attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Adrian Daulby, 53, is believed to have been shot dead by police while trying to stop al Shamie from entering the synagogue.

He died alongside Melvin Cravitz, 66, a worshipper who helped prevent the attacker from entering the place of worship.

Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) is leading the police operation and has been granted warrants allowing them to detain four people who were arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts for a further five days.

The warrants relate to two men, aged 30 and 32, and two women, aged 46 and 61.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the investigation was “continuing at pace” with “significant resources” mobilised in order to “establish the full picture into what has happened”.

The force said three men remain in hospital with serious injuries, including a security guard with car-impact injuries and a Community Security Trust (CST) worker with stab wounds.

On Friday, the police watchdog, which is investigating the incident, said it was examining the use of lethal force by GMP firearms officers, including “whether police may have caused or contributed to the death” of Mr Daulby.

Nearly 500 arrested as pro-Palestine protest goes ahead despite pleas

It comes as 492 people were arrested over protests supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action in Trafalgar Square on Saturday.

The demonstration went ahead despite Sir Keir Starmer, other politicians and police bosses calling on organisers to reconsider.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews called for those who attended the demonstration arrested under the Terrorism Act to also be investigated for stirring up racial hatred.

The board is set to hold an event in the same location on Sunday afternoon to reflect on the two-year anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack.

On Friday, the head of counter-terrorism policing, Laurence Taylor, said a “suspicious device” attached to al Shamie’s torso was fake and police believed he “may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology”.

He added: “Based on some fast-time assessments conducted on our systems, this individual does not appear to be known to counter-terrorism policing, however, he does have a non-CT (counter-terror) related criminal history.

“This includes a recent arrest for rape, which resulted in him being bailed.”

UK

Prince William ‘cares deeply about tradition’ but Earthshot Prize shows he’s not afraid to modernise

Published

6 hours ago

October 5, 2025

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Prince William 'cares deeply about tradition' but Earthshot Prize shows he's not afraid to modernise

A close adviser to Prince William has told Sky News William “does care deeply about tradition” but his Earthshot Prize shows he’s not afraid to modernise to make sure his work “makes sense” for the generation he will serve.

Marking a month to go until the fifth Earthshot Prize awards takes place in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Jason Knauf, the new chief executive, says it shows “the sort of leader that Prince William wants to be, both now and in the future” but also the huge impact his influence can have on issues like the climate crisis.

Mr Knauf has become a close confidante of the Prince, having worked with him for ten years, and being there right at the beginning of the Earthshot journey, “when this thing was percolating, and he really pushed us to make it something special”.

But after discussions this week about the “change” William wants to make when he’s monarch, Mr Knauf told us the Prince doesn’t want to just shake things up for the sake of it.

“He does care deeply about tradition, about his family’s legacy of service, and I think Earthshot is a really good example of how you’re going to see that maintained in the future, but done in a way that makes sense for the time”, he said, adding: “That’s what his grandmother did.

“That’s what his father’s been doing. Updating the tradition for the generation that they serve”.

Explaining how in the early days they looked closely at other examples of past royal prizes or initiatives, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, for inspiration, Mr Knauf said: “You know, we didn’t just create this thing in a vacuum. It was about what kind of difference could his leadership make?

“And one of the things about the royal family for generations, has been recognising the work of others.

“You know, whether that’s through the honours system, recognising people in arts and community service or whatever it might be, all this is doing is taking something that’s really traditional and putting a modern twist on it”.

Last week, a TV programme was released in which Prince William admitted, during an interview with Hollywood star Eugene Levy, that “change is on my agenda” when he becomes King.

This weekend, the finalists for the fifth Earthshot awards are announced, with four weeks to go until the ceremony takes place in Rio.

The prize recognises innovators coming up with solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems.

Among this year’s finalists in the running for the five £1m prizes are Matter, a British company whose simple washing machine filters remove the greatest cause of microplastics in our ocean; the world’s first fully ‘upcycled skyscraper’ in Australia, a Chinese company working on mobile phone waste, and the country of Barbados for its environmental focus.

For the first time, the awards will take place in the same country, in the same week as the UN climate change conference COP30.

Addressing whether the positive message of Earthshot will be overshadowed by the inevitable split opinions on tackling the climate crisis that will come out of the conference in Belem, Mr Knauf said: “The news around political disagreement and all of that stuff will be out there, but that’s one of the reasons we created the prize, directly to challenge that pessimism and negativity, to say we need to get on with this work.

“Showing world leaders that big things are happening in their regions and in their countries and in their backyards should remind them that, actually, this isn’t something that’s theoretical.

“The actual solutions that we need really, really do exist”.

Prince William will travel to Brazil on 3 November for engagements in Rio, highlighting environmental issues, as well as attending the awards on 5 November at the iconic Museum of Tomorrow.

In a video posted on his social media, the Prince explains how he continues to do this for his children, saying: “The Earthshot Prize was founded because this decade matters.

“2030 is a threshold by which future generations will judge us; it is the point at which our actions, or lack of them, will have shaped forever the trajectory of our planet.”