All eyes were on the newly installed chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng as he prepares to unveil his "mini Budget" on September 23.
But his disastrous plans to slash taxes and put the squeeze on benefits receivers plunged the UK economy into chaos, melted the markets and forced the Bank of England to intervene to steady the ship.
A long-time ally of the new PM Liz Truss, Mr Kwarteng appeared to be a shoo-in for the job once it was clear she would leave her leadership rival Rishi Sunak trailing in her wake.
