Liz Truss’s attempt to silence Keir Starmer has, ironically, only given him more comedic ammunition. After receiving a legal letter demanding that he stop claiming she “crashed the economy,” the prime minister wasted no time poking fun at his short-lived predecessor.
“Might As Well Have Been Green Ink”
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer relished the moment:
“I got a letter this week from a voter in a Labour seat. It was Liz Truss. It wasn’t written in green ink, but it might as well have been.”
He then twisted the knife by pointing out it was Truss’s own catastrophic mini-Budget that caused her downfall, not his remarks about it:
“It’s actually crashing the economy that damaged her reputation.”
Truss lasted only 44 days in office after her mini-Budget tanked the markets—a record short tenure that continues to haunt her political reputation.
Tory Leader’s Comeback Falls Flat
Meanwhile, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch tried to redirect criticism back at Starmer, blaming him for rising taxes, borrowing, and mortgage rates since his government took office:
“Can the country afford four more years of his terrible judgment?”
But Starmer fired back, accusing the Tories of “complaining” and ignoring their own failings:
“They’re like a blank piece of paper blowing hopelessly in the wind. No wonder the country put them in the bin.”
The Economy Under Scrutiny
This exchange comes amid grim financial news. Government borrowing costs are soaring, the pound’s value is slipping, and speculation is rife about fresh spending cuts. Yet Starmer, brandishing Truss’s letter as a political trophy, seems unbothered:
“They don’t even acknowledge their sorry record.”
The war of words shows no sign of letting up, especially with Truss’s lawyers still insisting that claiming she “crashed the economy” is defamation. One wonders if this legal spat will fade—or simply fuel more political jabs in the weeks to come.
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