Liz Truss has reignited tensions within the Conservative Party by launching a sharp rebuke at Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, following his public rejection of her 2022 minibudget. In a recent speech, Stride firmly distanced the party from the controversial economic package Truss championed during her brief stint as prime minister. He declared that the Conservatives, under current leadership, would not repeat what he called the mistake of unfunded tax cuts, which severely rattled the markets and cost the party its economic credibility.
Stride’s comments were seen as a clear attempt to reset the party’s financial stance and reassure voters that future Tory economic plans would be rooted in fiscal responsibility. However, Truss was quick to respond, accusing Stride of representing a tired economic orthodoxy that has failed to deliver growth for the UK. She argued that her agenda, though abruptly derailed, had been designed to spur long-term prosperity and investment, and blamed Stride and others in the party for never giving her vision a fair chance to succeed.
Calling out what she sees as political cowardice, Truss insisted that real reform requires bold action, not cautious half-measures. In her view, the party’s refusal to back transformative policies will only continue to erode trust among voters who are desperate for genuine change. Truss also suggested that Stride’s criticisms are part of a broader pattern of internal sabotage that contributed to her downfall and stifled efforts to deliver economic dynamism.
In his speech, stride not only dismissed Truss’s economic approach but also aimed Reform UK, branding their tax proposals as “pure populism” with dangerous similarities to Truss’s failed plan. He praised party leader Kemi Badenoch for taking a more measured approach, likening her path to that of Margaret Thatcher in her early years. But despite his attempts to reposition the Conservatives as a safe pair of hands, polling shows the party struggling, with Labour and Reform UK ahead and Badenoch’s popularity in decline.
This latest clash between Truss and senior Tory leadership exposes a deep divide over the party’s direction. As the Conservatives face mounting pressure in the run-up to the next general election, the debate over economic strategy is far from over, and Truss is making it clear she won’t go quietly.
