The good news is: the live stream is still running. The bad: maybe not for long.
“Will Liz Truss last longer than this salad?” asked the “Daily Star” in thieving anticipation. Since then, the so-called network has been invited to watch a head of lettuce die on YouTube.
Now, the British tabloids are often polemical and largely crude. But according to current murmurs in Britain, the decaying greens may actually outlast the Prime Ministers.
Because even if the live stream is still running, it’s not running for Liz Truss. Barely six weeks in office, the head of government is considered as good as dead. All-too-spectacular reversals in financial policy, lousy poll numbers and a consequently badly upset Conservative Party hit Truss hard (read a detailed analysis here).
There is currently speculation about when she will have to vacate her post, as if the only thing left to be decided is the date of her political end. Best regards, the head of lettuce.
True, Truss acknowledged “mistakes” and aggressively announced that she would lead the Tory party into the next general election in 2024. But their demonstrative optimism is hardly shared in their own ranks. The Prime Minister can “no longer afford to make many mistakes,” MP James Heappey said on Tuesday. That means: even more mistakes, then she is rid of her post.
If you believe a recent survey by Sky News, that is the majority wish of the Conservatives. Accordingly, 55 percent of Tory members are in favor of Truss resigning immediately. Only 38 percent want to keep them in office. It remains to be seen whether it matters more to Truss that her scandal-ridden predecessor Boris Johnson (with 63 percent) is named as the most suitable replacement.
On the other hand, it is certain that this Wednesday she could use a similar liberation as “BoJo” once did, who during his turbulent tenure has repeatedly managed to talk his way out of all sorts of troubles with strong performances in the lower house.
Truss has answered questions from MPs in Parliament for the first time since her damned tax policy. Last but not least, everyone looked at the effervescent or non-existent applause from the benches in the House of Commons: a weak performance would damage Truss – and further accelerate her possible fall.
Under this impression, however, Question Time was also followed with a certain amount of concern. To put it diplomatically, Truss is not very gifted in rhetoric.
An eight-minute press conference last Friday was described as disastrous by Tory MPs, Sky News reported, which only made matters worse. The fact that Truss then sent her new Treasury Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, in front of her and listened wordlessly in Parliament as he raked in her recently announced tax cuts piece by piece, brought her additional scorn and ridicule.
As expected, the Labor Party led by opposition leader Keir Starmer – which is up to 30 percent ahead of the Conservatives in the polls – put the battered Prime Minister through the cracks. Angry shouts and calls for his resignation echoed at Truss from the opposition benches, who repeatedly held on to her post: “I’m a fighter and not a shirker.” Truss countered allegations that she had driven the country’s economy to the wall by stating that the economic situation was generally difficult.
It remains to be seen whether she was able to mitigate the displeasure from her own ranks. In any case, the head of government, who had gotten heavily on the defensive, was spared criticism from within her own ranks. Is it the calm before the storm? Maybe Truss could buy himself some more time.
Because speculation that she could have bought the loyalty of the Brexit hardliners with a hard line towards Brussels in the dispute over the status of Northern Ireland seemed to be confirmed. When asked by a member of parliament, she assured that she wanted to stick to a draft law that would undermine the agreement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol from the Brexit Treaty.
But British quality media are already looking into the crystal ball in view of the delicate situation: How could Truss be booted out? Reports that the coup is allegedly already being planned in her faction recently fueled the mind games again.
One of the scenarios that is outlined: Enough Tory MPs have run out of patience, submit a letter of no confidence to the chairman of the “1922 Committee” and thus bring about the re-election of the party leadership.
In order to trigger the procedure, however, a 15 percent threshold of MPs would have to be reached. According to party rules, a Tory leader also has a one-year grace period, in Truss’s case until September 2023. However, a huge mountain of letters of no confidence could justify a change in modalities, rumored by the “Guardian”.
Another scenario: Truss bows to the growing displeasure of her party members and “falls on the sword”, as the British media put it. In short: she resigns.
Option 3 is the least likely: Truss calls new elections – and thus faces himself and the Tory party to the vote of the electorate. According to current polls, however, this step would end in a crushing defeat for the conservatives.
Striking: A scenario in which Truss could remain in office is practically not discussed in the British media. The belief in a political feat seems to be too small.
Editor’s note: Question time in the British House of Commons has now taken place. The text has been updated accordingly.
Sources: The Guardian, Sky News, BBC, The Times, with footage from DPA news agency
