Michael Fabricant says:  “I feel very sad for Liz Truss who became Prime Minister at such a difficult time.  She inherited rising interest rates worldwide, a £40 billion pound hole in our finances following on from furlough payments and other expenditure arising from Covid, and a war in Europe where the UK has played a major part in the supply of equipment and training.

“But she could have survived had it not been for Kwarsi Kwarteng’s ‘grand experiment’ of his mini-budget.  The reversal of her economic policies caused her to lose the confidence of many in the Parliamentary Conservative Party and the country.

“Last summer I told the House of Commons in a debate with the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “I believe the Conservative Party is making the same mistake” (forcing Boris to resign) “as did Labour when they ‘knifed’ Tony Blair.”  I think many of my colleagues will now be regretting their moves against Boris.

“But we must move swiftly forward to stabilise the nation and the economy for the benefit of the British people.  We need stability not turbulence.  I hope a new Prime Minister will be appointed shortly.  However, I feel it essential that the membership of the Conservative Party have a say in this – not just the MPs.

“Of course, I know that Labour is calling for a General Election but Starmer knows full well that when Labour Prime Minister Wilson was replaced by Callaghan and Blair by Brown, it did not trigger a general election as that is not in our constitution.”