Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Virtual event series

Where did Liz Truss go wrong? Join our expert online panel discussion on UK politics

Sign up to our free virtual panel event discussing the latest twists and turns surrounding the UK’s economy and political landscape

Friday 21 October 2022 12:45 BST
Comments
(AFP via Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

The game is up, the short, brutal and unhappy Truss era is over. It can’t be looked back upon with much affection, but it was nonetheless a significant time.

And so here we are, 2022, the year of two monarchs and three prime ministers. The year when the British constitution was tested to the limit yet again. The year when the Tory party finally ran out of talent and ideas. But 2022 has more excitement in store.

And crucially, what did Liz Truss do wrong?

Most of all, she got her economic policy wrong, which was largely down to a fundamental misunderstanding about how markets work, and how fragile Britain’s economy actually is, our associate editor, Sean O’Grady writes.

“She and her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng were incredibly arrogant. Those were unforced errors. She couldn’t recover from them”, summarises O’Grady.

He added: “The demise of Truss proves – were it needed – that the Conservative government has run out of ideas, out of discipline and is running extremely low on talent. Indeed, those triple deficits are interrelated.

“After 12 years in office, their attempts to blame Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for their own failings is pathetic, and the public has run out of patience with their excuses. Convenient conspiracy theories about “globalists”, Remainers, the establishment and the “blob” feed a myth that Truss wasn’t allowed or didn’t have the chance to put her policies in effect.”

But that is just the start, there is so much more to discuss, including The Independent’s petition for a general election, which has now been signed by hundreds of thousands of people.

Do you want a general election?

So join us for our next virtual event being held on Tuesday, October 25, where we will be discussing exactly where Truss did go wrong and what is likely to happen next.

The event will start at 6.30pm, last an hour and will be held on Zoom.

It is being hosted by our chief political commentator John Rentoul. He will be joined our Sean O’Grady and economist Julian Jessop.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in