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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Marina Hyde

So farewell, Kwasi. Your career died so Liz Truss’s might live for at least 15 more minutes

Kwasi Kwarteng leaves 11 Downing Street on Friday after being sacked as chancellor.
‘Ironically, Kwasi Kwarteng departs the stage just as his mini-budget is finally becoming worthy of its descriptor.’ Kwarteng leaves 11 Downing Street on Friday after being sacked as chancellor. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA

To Westminster, district of the damned, where the Conservatives are plotting to commit leadercide yet again. They’ve dispatched so many over the past few years that it’s possible they regard Harold Shipman as the real opposition. You certainly get the feeling he could poll higher than them.

This morning, hot-mess chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng landed back in the UK, ready to drop the corporation tax cut in a joint announcement with Liz Truss, the new prime minister, whose central leadership pitch it was. Long story short: former Rishi Sunak-backer Jeremy Hunt is now chancellor and Truss has given one of the worst press conferences in the entire history of the genre, shortly after sending Kwarteng a letter “deeply respect[ing]” his decision to get knifed by her. Even Kwarteng’s predecessor, Nadhim Zahawi, held the office longer.

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