Latest updates: Liz Truss being interviewed on opening day of Tory conference in Birmingham
Good morning. During the Tory leadership contest an internal Labour party document, leaked to the media, said that the election of Liz Truss could deliver a 10-point boost in the polls. The briefing, which was received with some scepticism, was intended to stop Labour getting complacent, and it was based on historical figures showing that in the past having a new prime minister normally has resulted in a bounce in the poll. It is now clear that the memo was much more prophetic than anyone realised – only it is Labour that is benefiting from the bounce, not the Conservative party, and that the bounce is worth much more than 10 points.
Of course, it was the mini-budget, not Truss’s election as Tory leader, that made the difference, but that distinction won’t be much consolation to Conservative MPs as they start their conference today in Birmingham. The main divide in the party at the moment is probably between those who think that the damage done by the mini-budget to Truss’s premiership is terminal, and those who think there is some slight chance of recovery.
It’s a declinist mentality, the idea that Britain’s best days are behind us and that all this is about is managing the distribution between people, rather than growing the size of the pie. I believe we can grow the size of the pie. But we need to take the tough decisions to do that.
