Liz Truss's Attempt To Stop People Saying She Crashed The Economy Has Quite The Opposite Effect

Liz Truss’s legal bid to stop Keir Starmer from saying she crashed the economy has turned into the own goal of the year – and we’re still in early January.

The ex-prime minister, who was kicked out of office after her disastrous mini-Budget complete with £45bn unfunded tax cuts, sent a cease and desist letter to the Labour leader today.

Her lawyers accused the PM of causing “serious harm to her reputation” by making “false and defamatory” claims about her impact on the economy.

“Our client requests that you immediately cease and desist from repeating the defamatory statements at any point, from causing them to be repeated or from otherwise re-publishing the defamatory statements or any part of them,” Truss’s lawyers said.

However, the PM’s official spokesperson hit back at her claims, telling reporters: “I don’t think the prime minister is the only person in the country who shares the view in relation to the previous government’s handling of the economy.

“I guess the question is whether she will be writing to millions of people up and down the country as well over her economic record which put mortgage bills up.”

He added that the PM “absolutely stands by” what he has stand about Truss’s handling of the economy.

In response to that, she posted on X: “I know Keir Starmer won’t repeat his allegations that I crashed the economy because he knows it’s a lie.”

Truss also posted a video trying to claim Labour’s current economic woes – as borrowing reaches a 17-year high – overshadowed anything triggered by her own fiscal event, more than two years ago.

However, her bid to clear her name just seems to have the opposite effect – and given her critics a fresh reason to slam her.

Commons leader Lucy Powell chose to bring it up during her business statement in the House today, saying: “Liz Truss’s kamikaze budget directly and immediately led to the gilt market crashing. 

“She might want us to cease and desist, but we won’t cease and desist from telling the truth, that they crashed the economy.” 

Conservative peer Lord Bethell told Politics Live this lunchtime her comments were “unbelievably unhelpful”.

“It’s not the first thing she’s done that was unhelpful,” he added.

Meanwhile, on social media, the phrase “Liz Truss crashed the economy” started trending.