‘I know brighter days lie ahead’: Liz Truss bids farewell to Downing Street
Liz Truss has insisted “brighter days lie ahead” for the country as she gave her final speech before leaving Number 10.
Speaking outside Downing Street, Ms Truss, who has become the UK’s shortest serving prime minister after just seven weeks, wished Rishi Sunak “every success” as he takes the reins.
But she appeared to double down on her political philosophy, saying “Brexit freedoms” should allow taxes to be lower, and adding: “We simply cannot afford to be a low growth country”.
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“I am more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges that we face,” she said.
“As the Roman philosopher Seneca wrote, it’s not because things are difficult that we do not dare is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
Ms Truss went to Buckingham Palace to officially offer her resignation to the King.
Ms Truss headed straight to Buckingham Palace to formally offer her resignation.
Just before 11am, the Royal Household confirmed the event had taken place and that King Charles was “graciously pleased to accept”.
Now the new leader of the Conservative Party, Mr Sunak, is meeting the King, where he will be asked to form a new government.
Rishi Sunak will soon travel to the palace as he takes over as prime minister
In her speech, the outgoing PM claimed her short-lived administration had “acted urgently and decisively on the side of hard working families and businesses” by reversing the rise in National Insurance and introducing help with energy bills over the winter.
But there was no apology after the economic chaos of recent weeks following her tax slashing mini-budget that ultimately let to her downfall.
Instead, she revealed she planned to stay in politics, “spending more time in my constituency and continuing to serve South West Norfolk from the backbenches”, before echoing the speech she made on entering Downing Street.
“Our country continues to battle through a storm, but I believe in Britain,” she said. “I believe in the British people and I know that brighter days lie ahead.”
Truss was forced to focus on principles, not achievements
Liz Truss’s speech departing Downing Street was only slightly more memorable than the one she delivered on arrival.
With such an insubstantial legacy, she was forced to focus on her principles, rather than her achievements.
Ms Truss returned to her insistence that the UK “cannot afford to be a low growth country”, her belief in lower taxes, and also said: “Ukraine must prevail”.
She seemed to be attempting to argue that it was her boldness that brought her down – critics would argue it was a dangerous and irresponsible lack of political caution.
With echoes of Boris Johnson, Ms Truss quoted the Roman philosopher Seneca, saying: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
These Downing Street farewells are by their very nature laced with failure, but today there was no real acknowledgment of the disastrous nature of Ms Truss’s premiership.
In the three minute six second address, she did not apologise or show regret for the economic mess she has left for her successor, or indeed for millions of people across the country.
Instead she seemed to be offering advice to Mr Sunak – that he should be radical in delivering Brexit and changing the economic landscape of the UK.
Like Gordon Brown in 2010 and David Cameron in 2016, the Truss children (Frances, 16, and Liberty, 13) watched their mother speak outside Number 10 and joined her in meeting the monarch at Buckingham Palace.
Liz Truss said she will now be spending more time in her Norfolk constituency – a clear sign she is not expecting a role in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet.
Reports suggests she intends to “take a break” from frontline politics, but that of course is hardly her choice. Ms Truss toxic reputation means future prime ministers are unlikely to want her anywhere near their top teams.
Ms Truss won the keys to Number 10 at the start of September after a summer-long leadership contest to replace Boris Johnson.
She beat Mr Sunak with 57% of the votes from party members and promised them she would “deliver, deliver, deliver”.
The start of her premiership was dominated by the death of the Queen, with her attending tribute events across the country to support the new King and giving a reading at the monarch’s funeral.
But her time in office was defined by the mini-budget that sent markets into turmoil and the pound dropping at record rates.
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As Liz Truss resigns as prime minister, we take a look back on her political journey.
Ms Truss tried to regain her authority by firing her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and replacing him with Jeremy Hunt, who within days had reversed nearly all her policies.
But after the resignation of her home secretary and chaos in parliament over a vote on fracking, she said she accepted she could no longer stay in post.
Mr Sunak was chosen to replace her by Tory MPs four days later, and will shortly become the country’s new prime minister.
The suspended surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has been named as paediatric consultant Kuldeep Stohr.
Eight hundred patients operated on by Ms Stohr are having their cases urgently re-examined, after an external review found nine children whose care fell below expected standards.
The initial review was ordered after concerns were raised by her colleagues.
Sky News has seen a copy of the interim report which details several issues relating to complex hip surgeries performed by the surgeon.
One of the parents whose child was identified in the review showed us a recent letter from the hospital which reported “problems with both judgement and technique” in her child’s surgery.
Ms Stohr, who has been suspended since the end of January, said in a statement: “I always strive to provide the highest standards of care to all my patients.
“I am co-operating fully with the trust investigation and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Tammy Harrison: ‘It was hell’
Left in agonising pain
Tammy Harrison, 12, has cerebral palsy and had surgeries carried out by Ms Stohr. Her operations didn’t work, leaving her in agonising pain.
She said: “My first one was just like trauma. I couldn’t get out of bed for eight weeks. I was either stuck in bed or stuck on the sofa. It was hell.”
Her mum, Lynn, told Sky News: “There is nothing that can put Tammy back to where she was now and that’s the sad thing.
“If I could just click my fingers and have the child back that I had I would do it with a blink of an eye.”
Ms Stohr operated on Lynn Harrison’s daughter
So far, there’s been no confirmation of any wrongdoing in Tammy’s care.
But her family have a meeting at the hospital this week to find out more.
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The trust has asked a panel of specialist clinicians to review all the planned operations carried out by Ms Stohr at Addenbrooke’s. One hundred emergency trauma cases will also be looked at.
Addenbrooke’s is a major regional trauma centre and treats serious emergency patients from all over the region.
One clinician at the hospital told Sky News that the review of so many patients was “creating a lot of extra work”, which was “slowing things down” for other patients awaiting treatment.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital. File pic: PA
At least one extra locum consultant has been helping the team, as they work through the caseload.
Trust apologises
Sky News has been told Cambridge University Hospitals Trust had wanted to identify Ms Stohr before but had been threatened with a legal injunction.
The trust has apologised unreservedly to families and patients. But what’s troubling many is the fact concerns were raised about Ms Stohr a decade ago.
Chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, Roland Sinker, has set up another review to examine whether opportunities were missed, and action could have been taken sooner.
The Department of Health described the ongoing situation as “incredibly concerning.”
Sir Keir Starmer promised “bold changes” as he announced he will relax rules around electric vehicles after carmakers were hit by Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The prime minister said “global trade is being transformed” after the US president‘s 25% levy on imported cars, and 10% tariff on other products, came into force.
Jaguar Land Rover has said the firm will “pause” shipments to the US as it looks to “address the new trading terms”.
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Labour made a manifesto pledge to restore a 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after it had been rolled back to 2035 by Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government.
Starmer promises to ‘back British business’. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir will officially confirm the ban in an announcement on Monday but regulations around manufacturing targets on electric cars and vans will be altered, to help firms in the transition.
Luxury supercar firms such as Aston Martin and McLaren will still be allowed to keep producing petrol cars beyond the 2030 date, because they only manufacture a small number of vehicles per year.
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‘Nothing off the table’ over tariffs
Petrol and diesel vans will also be allowed to be sold until 2035, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid cars.
The government is also going to make it easier for manufacturers who do not comply with the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which sets sales targets, to avoid fines, and the levies will be reduced.
Sir Keir said: “I am determined to back British brilliance.
“Now more than ever UK businesses and working people need a government that steps up, not stands aside.
“That means action, not words.”
Officials have said support for the car industry will continue to be kept under review as the full impact of the tariffs announced last week becomes clear.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the industry deserves “clarity” in the economic context.
She said: “Our ambitious package of strengthening reforms will protect and create jobs, making the UK a global automotive leader in the switch to EVs, all the while meeting our core manifesto commitment to phase out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.”
Read more:
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Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the government had “recognised the intense pressure manufacturers are under”, while Colin Walker, a transport analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said the ZEV mandate is a “global success story” in driving a surge in sales of electric vehicles.
It comes as KPMG warned US tariffs on UK exports could see GDP growth fall to 0.8% in 2025 and 2026.
The accountancy firm said higher tariffs on specific categories, such as cars, aluminium and steel, would more than offset the exemption on pharmaceutical exports, leaving the effective tariffs imposed on UK exports at around 12%.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “Given the economic impact that tariffs would cause, there is a strong incentive to seek a negotiated settlement that diminishes the need for tariffs. The UK automotive manufacturing sector is particularly exposed given the complex supply chains of some producers.”
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