Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has criticised the Government's latest Budget, calling it a "complete nothing burger" and claiming Britain's economy continues to struggle. Speaking on the Daily Expresso, she said the Budget failed to address the country's economic challenges.
John Healey, in his speech setting out the Budget, pledged to give families and businesses "breathing space" from rising costs, including action on energy bills, motoring costs, wages and the everyday cost of living. Announcements included a £100 energy bill payment for around 20 million households in council tax bands A to D this winter, plans to abolish gas standing charges for around 23 million homes from 2027, and an extension of the VAT cut on household electricity bills until July 1, 2027. Parental pay will also be extended to more than 160,000 additional parents, while the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over will rise by 3.9% to £13.21 an hour from April 1, 2027.
Truss's Reaction to the Budget
In the latest episode of the Daily Expresso, Truss branded the Budget a "complete nothing burger", describing it as "tumbleweed" and claiming it failed to address the UK's economic challenges. Asked by host JJ Anisiobi what she thought of Andy Burnham's first Budget, she said: "I thought it was a complete nothing burger. I mean nothing's changed. It's like tumbleweed. The country is still going to the dogs. The debt's still going to be higher, the economy's stagnated."
She added: "The economic growth forecasts were downgraded again and we're still heading for the cliff, we're still heading for a fiscal crisis. It's only because Paris is literally burning down that we look slightly better than France."
"But our debt is in a dire situation, and they've done nothing to actually attract companies to invest in the UK, to get fracking, to do the things we need to do to actually transform our economy from the basket case that it is at the moment."
Comparison to Her 2022 Mini-Budget
Asked how the Budget compares to her 2022 "mini-budget", the former PM said: "Well, it's a lot worse. And if we'd implemented the mini-budget, we wouldn't be facing the debt problem we are now." She added: "They were opposed to my tax cuts, they were opposed to what I was trying to do like fracking. They were opposed to me trying to rein in the welfare state. What's happened? The debts gone up!"
"The economy has been stagnant. We've got more people leaving Britain, more billionaires leaving Britain than any other country in the world. So everything I predicted has unfortunately come true and we are seeing it. My remedies are still the right remedies for Britain."
In the episode, Truss blamed the Bank of England for the 2022 market turmoil and criticised what she described as decades of poor economic policy, pointing to high taxation, migration and energy costs as factors holding Britain back.
Truss's Political Background
Liz Truss was the leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the UK for less than 50 days, resigning after a mini-budget announcement rocked the economy. Her exit made her the shortest-lived Prime Minister in UK history. She first became the Conservative MP for South West Norfolk in 2010 and has served in several cabinet posts, including Foreign Secretary and International Trade Secretary.
Daily Expresso episodes are available every weekday at 5pm on The Daily Express YouTube Channel.
