Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has sent a legal "cease and desist" letter to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, demanding he stop alleging she "crashed the economy." Truss's lawyers argue that this statement is "factually incorrect and defamatory," and warn that it has caused significant harm to her political career. The contention arises from financial market turbulence during her brief tenure in No. 10, which Truss claims should not be classified as an economic crash.
Truss, who holds the record as the UK's shortest-serving Prime Minister, resigned after just 49 days in office. Her government's mini-budget led to soaring borrowing costs and a significant drop in the pound, which hit its lowest level in over a year. Government borrowing costs surged to their highest in 16 years, prompting civil servants to amend documents initially describing her mini-budget as "disastrous." The Cabinet Office confirmed these documents had been "corrected and updated" following claims of "flagrant" political bias by Truss.
Truss's team insists the allegations made by Sir Keir are "false and defamatory," damaging her politically, particularly as she faced losing her South West Norfolk seat in the general election. Her lawyers stated:
"Their publication is not only extremely damaging but also grossly defamatory and indefensible… It would be hard to avoid a conclusion that they were made maliciously." – Truss's lawyers
The letter seeks "an amicable basis" for Sir Keir to stop repeating what they deem as an incorrect statement.
"an amicable basis on which you will agree to cease repetition of what is clearly a factually incorrect and defamatory statement about our client." – Truss's lawyers
In response, Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman suggested that Liz Truss should address the millions affected by increased mortgage bills resulting from her economic policies. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones critiqued the previous Conservative government, claiming they had "ruined the lives of people across this country" through their "hubris" and "recklessness." He attributed the financial situation to "a wide range of international and domestic factors."
Labour's Lucy Powell also weighed in, asserting:
"we won't cease and desist from telling the truth that they [the Conservatives] crashed the economy." – Lucy Powell
Truss countered these criticisms by labeling claims that Labour's tax rises stem from her economic legacy as "economic illiteracy." She maintains that attributing such outcomes solely to her brief leadership is misleading and unfair.