Liz Truss will launch a sustained campaign this Week to bring unity and stability to her increasingly fractured party.
Truss has been the target of a number of cabinet members who have been vocal in their condemnation over the past weeks. This has caused a rift in cabinet collective responsibility.
Truss will host a series lunches with MPs, as MPs are due to return to Westminster tomorrow.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the Chancellor, is also planning to personally meet every Conservative MP over the next few weeks to reassure them about his recent mini budget.
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Truss is also set to visit the members tea room in the Houses of Parliament after prime minister’s questions tomorrow. A previous such visit by Boris Johnson at the end of his premiership back in late June proved particularly challenging for Truss’ predecessor.
The announcement comes after a weekend where a number of cabinet ministers took to the airwaves to call on party unity. There were also articles written by Sunday papers.
The decision to repeal the top tax rate has been reversed. Now, the question is whether to increase inflation-related benefits or wages. Victoria Prentis (Welfare Minister) confirmed this morning that no decision has been made by the government on the matter. It is believed that the government won’t have the votes of its MPs to make any plans to increase the benefits along with wages through the Commons.
A number of prominent party figures have expressed concern about the failure to increase wages and benefits. This morning the former Chancellor Sajid Javid, became the latest minister to demand benefits rise with inflation, explaining his position on the BBC Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme. He joins former Cabinet ministers Esther McVey and Damian Green in demanding such an uprating.
A number of cabinet ministers, including Penny Mordaunt and Robert Buckland, have come out to say that they believe Universal Credit payments should rise in line with CPI inflation.
Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has also warned that the Conservatives could face “complete wipe-out” at a general election and urged Liz Truss to stop being a “disrupter”.
Truss’ strong allies were Dorries, Mordaunt and Mordaunt in her leadership campaign. This has led to concern that even the closest people to her have lost faith in her decision making.
Nadhim Zhawi, Cabinet minister has urged Conservatives not to stand behind Liz Truss. He stated that the current division would only delay the growth plan. It could also risk them losing a large number of seats at the next general election.
Zahawi’s call for unity was echoed by other cabinet ministers in Sunday newspaper articles.
When asked if he could foresee a situation where the party oust Liz Truss, Zahawi told BBC’s Laura Kuenessburg, “No, I think what the party will do is get behind Liz Truss”.
Truss today appointed Sunak supporting, Greg Hands as minister at the Department of International Trade, in a sign that he is trying to heal divisions after the recent leadership election.
