THE MAIL IS IN

What on Earth is going on in the House of Commons? A Fresh Entrance & A Fresher Exit

Devesh S o o d

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

At the start of July, if you were to tell me that we would have a Prime Minister who would resign (kicking & screaming) & the country would witness the death of a monarch - I’d actually not be too surprised. But if you were to tell me that the succeeding Prime Minister would be crumbling from out the gates… I’d likely not have been that shocked either. Yet, even then, the events of the last two months have been nothing short of a spectacular disaster, one that could really be seen as a hilariously terrible miscalculation if it wasn’t affecting so many lives. I think it’s hard to find another leader who has struggled quite as much as Liz Truss this soon after coming into power. If the history books don’t label September - October 2022 something akin to the month of U-Turns, they’d need to find a truly creative alternative. In the past, when discussing the downfall of leaders, the basic arguments boil down to long term vs short term, usually striking a balance between the two; it is rare to see an ‘the smoking gun’. A mistake so catastrophic that it seems to have resulted in its own dismantling. In this instance, it really is the tragedy of Kwasi Kwarteng & his Mini-Budget. Held on 23rd September 2022, it was clear that it had clearly followed the outlines set by Truss during her election campaign; a plan that, on several occasions, was warned by her Conservative competitor, Rishi Sunak, for being dangerous, reckless & potentially permanently damaging. To no surprise, upon its announcement, the budget was torn apart. It had demonstrated all the worst qualities of the Conservative party, and left most of the nation both in anger and in fear. Within the budget included an abolishment of the 45% higher rate on income tax, and a reduction in the income tax rate by 1p (per pound), being set at 19p. There would also no longer be a rise in corporation tax from 19% to 25%, something that had been in the works since April 2021 & was expected to take shape in April 2023. The planned increase in the price of duties, including beer, cider, wine & spirits, which had been expected to increase, would no longer go forward. Considering the fear of continuously increasing the price of energy, these decisions felt woefully mistimed. Yet, the government acted almost as if they were oblivious to these issues, spending weeks trying to justify their decisions.And then… scrapped! They made their choice. They made the decision to dismantle their plans & restart… fresh. To say her popularity was at a significant low point seems like an understatement. Those who had supported her felt betrayed, & those who had questioned her candidacy were certain she needed to go. Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party and someone whose chance of becoming the new Prime Minister increased by the day, called Truss’s government ‘grotesque chaos’. As pressure mounted & her popularity worsened, she only had one move; Kwarteng was gone. Replacing him with Jeremy Hunt, many of these positions were reversed, including the 1p reduction, the cancelled increase in corporation tax & the increase in duty pricing. While a few policies remained, including those relating to stamp duty, there is no denying this decision truly stung for the sitting Prime Minister. Perhaps it's all the talk of U-turns but I cannot help myself but think Truss’s time in power has been the ultimate form of that; one gigantic U-Turn. She had her ideas & policies, came into power, brought in her cabinet members, then was responsible for one of the most ludicrous “mini-budget’s'' of all time, lost significant, if not majority, of support from her party, sacked her Chancellor & had a budget put in place that very clearly went against everything she had been promoting in the lead up to her candidacy. The only thing left to complete the shape is… her exit. The History Tables Never Turn? Courtney Bridges

There are currently 225 female MPs in the House of Comthe history tables never turn, or we more simply, never learn. Leaving our political climate for some, too mons. 35% is an all-time high. Female political involvement has seen a steady rise since the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979, her win a watershed for female politics as she became the first ever woman to live at No.10. The recent appointment of Liz Truss as Prime Minister only marks the third female Prime Minister in UK political history. So, while it may be refreshing to see another woman in an influential position of power, is her approach ‘fresh’? Are there any ‘fresh’ policies? ‘Fresh’ attitudes? A ‘fresh’ style? Or is the “Lady that’s not for turning up”, as Starmer mocked Truss for “ducking an urgent question on the economy in the Commons”, a reflection of the “Lady who [wasn’t] for turning”? Undoubtedly, Liz Truss, or any female Prime Minister, looking back to Theresa May, or even forward to coming years, are going to be compared to their predecessor. Yet this appears to hold further relevance to women in contrast to their male counterparts. And this particular Premiership faces an added layer of scrutiny, not just because of and wrongly so, the gender with which Truss identifies, but due to the economic and political crisis her government has inherited with the resignation of Boris Johnson. Truss is left contending with a party where its members are disconnected, that is disorganised and disillusioned with their direction. Pair this with an economic downtown, a living crisis and perhaps what some may argue to be democratic instability and it seems that either closely reminiscent of the Winter of Discontent 1978-79. Her Premiership will have severe consequences, not just for the stability of the country, and arguably, its survival this winter as we brace for the possibility of blackouts this coming January and February, but for women in politics as her time in Downing Street directs future preconceptions of a woman’s ability to lead. While it is vital that she, and her government are kept accountable, as they hold the leadership position of government, it remains to be questioned whether each Prime Minister can truly have a ‘fresh’ start. Although a new Parliamentary session begins, the decisions, and lasting memory of their predecessors – in Truss’s case, one as far back as the 70s now, cast an everlasting shadow of judgement and create preconceived notions of their leadership. Pressure for her resignation is mounting. So far, at the time of writing, Charles Walker, Angela Richardson, Jamie Wallis, Andrew Bridge and Crispin Blunt have called for Ms Truss to quit. With “dire polling”, Jeremy Hunt already being reasoned to be more powerful than the Prime Minister, the majority (more than 80%) of the Conservative Party thinking she should leave now, and a queue of alternatives being lining up, including Rishi Sunak, Ben Wallace, and even calls for the return of Boris

Liz Truss as Prime Minister and the Consequences for Women in Politics Johnson. A further question then can also be asked: how much do women SENIOR NEWS EDITOR suffer this consequence of history as opposed to their male counterparts? With the current example of Liz Truss, it is increasingly looking difficult for her to pull away from comparisons with Thatcher as she tries to hold on to her position this Christmas. On reflection: I wrote this article just two days prior to Truss’ resignation on October 20, 2022. This marked a term of just 44 days. What Truss will be remembered for is currently debatable. Whether more prominently as the “Lady that was for turning”, the shortest Premiership in UK history, or for Channel 4’s farewell tribute is yet to be decided. But unquestionably, as alluded to in the original body of my article, her legacy will likely be not for better, but for worse. While performance in positions of power should not be marked by gender, we have noted how this is sadly not completely the case. Her collected, brief resignation speech in itself is a testament to this; if she were to evoke emotion - she would be marked ‘hysterical’, no emotion at all and she is suddenly cold. Her leadership of the Conservative Party, and the country, then, as further analyses of her short-lived time as Prime Minister emerge, will in some form, be detrimental to women's involvement and promotion in politics. The extent of this will only become clear with time. For now, what perhaps is clear, is how this particular point in our political climate provides further evidence to my initial, depressing hypothesis: “the history tables never turn”.