Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Information Minister in Pakistani-administered Kashmir: Five civilians killed and at least 29 others injured in shelling across the border with India
Israeli Army Radio's diplomatic correspondent quoted a senior Israeli official as saying: So he [Trump] decided to cut off contact. That might still change, but that’s the situation right now
Israeli Army Radio's diplomatic correspondent quoted a senior Israeli official as saying: Trump’s circle told him [Dermer] that Netanyahu was manipulating him, and there’s nothing Trump hates more than being portrayed as someone being played
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: Meetings between the Israelis, Egyptians, and Qataris are all centered around the Israeli proposal, which does not guarantee an end to the war [on Gaza]
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: “Israel” is threatening to expand the ground offensive if Hamas rejects the proposal
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: Hamas rejects the Israeli proposal, viewing it as failing to guarantee an end to the war
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: “Israel” is sticking to its proposal, and insists there is no alternative offer on the table for negotiation
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: The meetings between the Israelis and the Egyptians and Qataris all revolve around the Israeli proposal
The administration was clearly looking for an off-ramp for this campaign against Ansar Allah, NBC News reports, citing US official
Trump's operation against Ansar Allah cost more than $1 billion, NBC News reports, citing US official

British PM humiliated on economic package retreat

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen English
  • 3 Oct 2022 14:37
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss announced backing down on top rate tax cuts decision that sent the UK financial market into a deep spiral last week.

  • x
  • British PM humiliated on mini-budget retreat
    UK Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwareng.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss hits a humiliating U-turn on tax cut decision included in the previously announced economic package, just one day after she announced being  "absolutely committed" to it.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss does an embarrassing U-turn, one day after declaring that she was "totally committed" to the tax cut decision, which was part of the previously announced economic package.

Almost one week ago, PM Truss and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwareng, announced huge tax cuts funded by a significant increase in borrowing in a new "mini-budget" that led to a sharp slide in UK bonds and currency, were the Sterling hit a 41 year low against the dollar, and an extreme negative reaction from the financial markets.

Read more: UK: inflation reaches its highest since 1982

Only a small number of Conservative MPs supported the mini-budget; others opposed it, most notably Julian Smith, a former whip for the party, who said it was wrong to enact a "huge tax cut for the very rich at a time of national crisis and real fear and anxiety among low-income workers and citizens." It is regarded as an unusual occurrence that the IMF joined the voices in denouncing the mini-budget.

Following the massive turbulence that hit the markets and the public outrage, UK government announced on Monday dumping the 45% to 40% tax-cut plan on incomes over £150,000, to which Kwarteng tweeted, "We get it, and we have listened," stating that, "It is clear that the abolition of the 45p tax rate has become a distraction from our overriding mission to tackle the challenges facing our economy." The news drived the Sterling sharply upwards against the USD, where it settled at 1.1212 at 7:30 following the confirmation that the cut was scrapped.

Read more: 60% of UK companies to close as energy prices soar

Related News

UK unemployment hits 3.6%, no clear end in sight

UK food prices on the rise and so is every other bill

In a talk with the BBC on Sunday, Truss claimed that the decision on cutting tax from high earners was made by Chancellor Kwasi and that she hadn't discussed it with her cabinet, in what appeared to be like "throwing (Kwarteng) under a bus," as MP Nadine Dorries described it.

Stating that the plan reveal did not go as planned due to communication errors with the UK minister of Finance, Truss tweeted, “Our focus now is on building a high growth economy that funds world-class public services, boosts wages, and creates opportunities across the country," adding that, "The abolition of the 45pc rate had become a distraction from our mission to get Britain moving.”

Read more: Truss freezes energy bills for 2 years, costs government £150 billion

"I'm very pleased that we've decided not to proceed with that because it was drowning out the elements of an excellent plan," stated Kwarteng to the BBC, while assuring that he did not consider resigning "at all".

Former UK transport secretary, Grant Shapps, described the decision to back down on the top rate tax cuts as sensible, stating the BBC cutting taxes from the people who least need them, "jarred for people in a way which was unsustainable.”

Following the recent events, a survey conducted by YouGov revealed that 51% of UK citizens believe that PM Truss should resign, while 54% think that Kwarteng needs to go.

Earlier, Tory members urged new PM Liz Truss to kick Kwarteng to the curb as they viewed her new government formation as a situation in dire straits. One member said: “Kwasi will have to go. She won’t have any option. They are actually crashing the economy and she will need somebody to blame.”

The party's former chancellor, Ken Clarke, labeled the Truss government to have initiated with a  “catastrophic start”, and hoped that the mini-budget initiative would be “torn up”, but in a statement to Sky News, in his opinion, Kwarteng's resignation would not improve the crisis, adding: “We cannot have a different chancellor every other week.”

  • Sterling Pound
  • British Prime Minister
  • Liz Truss
  • UK
  • Kwasi Kwarteng

Most Read

Pro-Palestinian protesters march toward the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Washington (AP)

US House to vote on bill criminalizing boycott of 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 3 May 2025
Throughout Operation Prosperity Guardian, current and former US military and intelligence officials expressed disquiet at the enormous “cost offset” involved in battling Ansar Allah. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

Ansar Allah triumphant: US facing Red Sea defeat again

  • Opinion
  • 3 May 2025
Pakistan downs an Indian jet and hits a military base in Kashmir escalation.

Pakistan downs 3 Indian jets, hits military base in Kashmir escalation

  • Politics
  • 7 May 2025
Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu, senior Israeli official says

Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu: Israeli media

  • US & Canada
  • Today

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
UN experts warn: Stop the genocide or witness Gaza's end
Politics

Stop the genocide or witness end of life in Gaza: UN experts warn

Israeli police attack mourners as they carry the casket of killed Al Jazeera veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during her funeral in occupied al-Quds, Friday, May 13, 2022. (AP)
Politics

Israeli sniper who killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh identified

The Department of Defense logo is seen on the wall in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon, Oct. 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

Pentagon’s unused properties drain billions in taxpayer funds

Haaretz
Palestine

Israeli military avoids calling up unwilling reservists: Haaretz

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS