British PM Truss admits tax cuts misstep at start of tense Tory conference

BIRMINGHAM - British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Sunday conceded she should have better prepared the country for her recent debt-driven mini-budget, which slashed taxes and sparked market turmoil, as her restive ruling Tories kick off their annual conference.

"We have a clear plan moving forward, both to deal with the energy crisis and to deal with inflation, but also to get the economy growing," she added, while also vowing to curb government debt"over the medium term".Opposition parties, much of the public, and even Conservative MPs - notably backers of her defeated leadership rival Rishi Sunak - were aghast at the mini-budget announced by Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng.

Ms Truss revealed on Sunday she had not discussed axing high-earners' 45 per cent tax rate with her Cabinet, and appeared to distance herself from the politically toxic move by claiming"it was a decision that the Chancellor made". Meanwhile, concerns are growing of a return to government austerity measures after Cabinet minister Simon Clarke warned on Saturday of the"very large welfare state" and a need to"trim the fat".

A raft of polls have found Ms Truss and her economic package deeply unpopular, alongside plummeting ratings for the Tories. Ms Truss may at least take some relief from reports that Mr Sunak and former prime minister Boris Johnson will stay away from Birmingham.Hundreds of protesters, angry at the government's handling of the worsening cost-of-living crisis, massed in Birmingham on Sunday, following mass demonstrations in London and elsewhere the previous day.

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