UK’s Truss admits to ‘mistakes’ – but blames enemies
Add BT as a preferred source
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
BRITISH former prime minister Liz Truss on Thursday conceded to “mistakes” over her disastrous short-lived tenure last year – but blamed the economic “establishment” for torpedoing her policies.
The ex-Conservative leader issued guarded regrets in her first broadcast TV interview since she was ousted in October after just 49 days.
“Whilst I did what I could to deliver my policies, I also recognise I made mistakes as well,” Truss told a sympathetic audience during a live question-and-answer session on the right-wing channel GB News.
“And I wasn’t as ready as I should have been. And I wasn’t prepared for some of the onslaught and brickbats that I got,” she added.
Financial markets tanked, driving borrowing costs higher for millions of Britons already struggling with soaring prices, when Truss unveiled a package of unfunded tax cuts in a bid to kick-start economic growth.
Forced to fire her finance minister, Truss was then told by Conservative grandees that she herself could not survive in 10 Downing Street following the ouster of Boris Johnson, and was replaced by Rishi Sunak.
Navigate Asia in
a new global order
Get the insights delivered to your inbox.
“I didn’t want to see people’s mortgages go up. I didn’t want to see people in Britain struggling,” Truss told the audience, while blaming “groupthink around what I call the economic establishment”.
“What I want to see is those Conservative economic policies that give people real hope for the future. So that is what I’m determined to do. I’m determined to fight for those policies.”
Truss backed Johnson after he was given an excoriating rebuke earlier Thursday by a committee of MPs investigating his “Partygate” denials during Covid lockdowns.
“Never, ever, ever write Boris off,” she said, echoing Johnson’s diehard supporters who are fighting the committee’s recommended sanctions after he resigned as a member of parliament.
But Truss denied that she wanted Sunak to fail.
“Let’s be clear – I want the prime minister and the Conservatives to win the next election. I think (opposition Labour leader) Keir Starmer would be an absolute disaster,” she said. AFP
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
TRENDING NOW
S-E Asia tourism takes hit from Middle East crisis, but intra-regional travel could spell hope
Higher costs, lower returns: Why are Singaporeans still betting on real estate?
From 1MDB to ‘corporate mafia’: Is Malaysia facing a new governance test?
China pips the US if Asean is forced to choose, but analysts warn against reading it like a sports result
