Grant Shapps says Liz Truss had right priorities but failed as she did not deal with ‘big structural issues’
Grant Shapps has said Liz Truss had the right priorities but failed as she did not try to deal with the “big structural issues” first.
The business secretary said he agreed the UK should have a low-tax economy, as the short-lived prime minister advocated, but inflation and debt needed to be dealt with first.
He was speaking the morning after Ms Truss released a 4,000-word essay in the Telegraph on Saturday night about what she had wanted to do as PM and why she thought it did not work.
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Mr Shapps, who was home secretary for Ms Truss’ final six days, told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “I noted that she said that they hadn’t prepared the ground for these big tax changes.
“And I think the truth is, and we know this, what you’ve got to do first is deal with the big sort of structural issues.
“Deal with inflation first, deal with the debt so you’re on a downward trajectory.
“And then you look towards tax cuts.”
He added: “I completely agree with Liz’s instinct to have a lower tax economy but what we know is if you do that before you’ve dealt with inflation and debt you can end up in difficulty.
“You can’t get the growth out of nowhere.”
Grant Shapps was home secretary under Liz Truss for her final six days
Ms Truss said she was never given a “realistic chance” to implement her radical tax-cutting agenda and claimed she was not warned about the fragility of the British economy.
The former PM also claimed she was ousted by a “very powerful economic establishment” that has “shifted Left-wards” – despite her own MPs forcing her out.
Ms Truss said she has a mandate from Conservative members, after they voted for her over Rishi Sunak, implying the current PM does not as his leadership never went to a vote of the membership.
In her first detailed comments since she was ousted from Number 10, Ms Truss said she had not appreciated the strength of the resistance she would face to her plans.
Read more: Analysis – Truss may be no Messiah but her political comeback has rattled some MPs
‘We’re back to where we should be’
Despite previously calling Ms Truss “tin-eared”, Mr Shapps refused to directly criticise Ms Truss’ leadership, which she called time on after just 44 days following the disastrous mini-budget in September.
He added that, as an MP and former Tory leader, she had the right to put her argument across in the article.
But he backed current PM Rishi Sunak in a backhanded swipe at his predecessor, saying the prime minister is tackling high inflation to ease pressure on the economy before growth can happen.
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“I think the main thing for people to know is Rishi Sunak’s come in,” he said.
“He’s removed that premium that we saw because the markets didn’t like what was going on back then and entirely removed the additional premium that was being applied to, essentially, our mortgage rates.
“So we’re back to where we should be.
“And he’s getting on with the difficult things in a world where Putin’s invaded a neighbouring country and inflation is therefore going up. He’s got on with the difficult job of dealing with those things.”
Truss article ‘very important’
Simon Clarke, Tory MP and chief secretary to the Treasury until Ms Truss became PM, said her article poses “important questions” about the extent to which it is possible to deliver tax cuts and/or spending reductions with current economic modelling.
“To what extent does the OBR model the results of policy, and to what extent does it pre-determine it by virtue of its modelling framework?” he tweeted.
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Former Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson, who was a Truss supporter, said her article is “very important” and “you have to take it seriously” when a former PM says she was “stymied by her own Treasury” and raises questions about the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
“I think that she didn’t get a proper go,” he told Sky News.
“She made some mistakes, sure. But, you know, we all make mistakes in life.
“She certainly shouldn’t have had organisations blocking her from doing the things that she set out to do, that’s for certain.”
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
Read more:
Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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