Embattled Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng sought to blame the Queen’s death for his botched mini-Budget which unleashed financial turmoil and hiked mortgage rates.
Mr Kwarteng said the national mourning period added to pressure in the build-up to his Commons statement which plunged the Conservatives’ poll ratings into freefall.
On an unprecedented day of chaos at the party’s conference in Birmingham, top Tories were embroiled in a bitter civil war as senior ministers fought over benefit cuts, tax slashing and raising the retirement age.
