Key events
When Rishi Sunak returns to Downing Street in the next few minutes to deliver his first speech to the nation, he won’t be applaued by a claque of supporters, my colleague Aubrey Allegretti reports. The team has decided that that would give the wrong impression.
Rishi Sunak’s first speech as PM is being carefully stage managed – his MP supporters won’t gather in Downing Street to clap him in.
I’m told this is about the “optics” and trying to help greater instil party unity.
— Aubrey Allegretti (@breeallegretti) October 25, 2022 At Buckingham Palace Rishi Sunak was welcomed by Sir Clive Alderton, principal private secretary to the king and queen consort, the monarch’s equerry, Lt Col Jonny Thompson, and Sir Edward Young, joint principal private secretary to the king, PA Media reports.
Rishi Sunak arriving at Buckingham Palace. Photograph: Yui Mok/PARishi Sunak is now on his way to Buckingham Palace for his audience with the king.
Truss’s speech – verdict from Twitter commentariatAnd this is what political journalists and commentators are saying on Twitter about Liz Truss’s speech.
From the Economist’s Matthew Holehouse
Resignation statements, abbreviated.
Cameron: Oops.
May: I’m sorry.
Johnson: You bastards.
Truss: I was right.
— Matthew Holehouse (@mattholehouse) October 25, 2022 The problem with Trussonomics is its adherants’ belief that they and they alone can see that Britain has a productivity problem, and that “at least we tried” is a sufficient defence when it all falls apart.
— Matthew Holehouse (@mattholehouse) October 25, 2022 From my colleague Pippa Crerar
Stand out line from Liz Truss departure speech – she still believes she was right.
No apology for chaos and she says her time in office has left her “more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges that we face”.
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) October 25, 2022 From the FT’s George Parker
Liz Truss leaves No 10 with no apology and suggesting her successor pursues her own highly successful policy programme
— George Parker (@GeorgeWParker) October 25, 2022 From the Daily Mirror’s John Stevens
Incredible. Liz Truss stands by her disastrous economic plan. No apology for the mess she has left.
— John Stevens (@johnestevens) October 25, 2022 From Politico’s Jack Blanchard
Liz Truss goes out just as she came in seven weeks ago – calling for lower taxes. If only someone would try it
— Jack Blanchard (@Jack_Blanchard_) October 25, 2022 From Lewis Goodall from the News Agents podcast
What some voters- whose lives have been buffeted in the last weeks-may have been looking for from Truss is some account of this chaotic period, if not some contrition. Like the Johnson farewell (and unlike May/Cameron’s), neither came.
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) October 25, 2022 From the Critic’s Robert Hutton
Absolutely amazing to argue that the lesson of your shortest-ever term as prime minister is that everyone else is wrong.
— Robert Hutton (@RobDotHutton) October 25, 2022 From Tom Harwood from GB News
This does not sound like a speech of an ex-PM who will go quietly into the night.
Sounds like Liz Truss will be a campaigner for freedom from the back benches.
— Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) October 25, 2022 From my colleague Jessica Elgot
Two veiled threats to Sunak in that departing speech from Truss – a warning on Ukraine and defence spending, as well as taking credit for reversing the NI rise, which was his idea and which is yet to receive Royal Assent
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) October 25, 2022 From Sky’s Beth Rigby
Ouch. A PM texts after Truss speech: “For all my time as Prime Minister” I think the school holidays were longer.
— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) October 25, 2022 From the FT’s Stefan Stern
That was truly, madly, deeply bad from Truss.
She should be banned from using the word “bold” ever again.
— stefanstern (@stefanstern) October 25, 2022 From the broadcaster and author Steve Richards
Evidently Truss has learnt nothing from her brief spell as PM.. her farewell speech could have been her opening address.
— steve richards (@steverichards14) October 25, 2022 From Talk TV’s Kate McCann
Fascinating and pointed speech from Truss – highlighting trickiest spots Rishi Sunak will face (with a wry smile on her face throughout) – NI reversal (Sunak policy), defence spending (will he keep 3pc), and growth. A “you might regret getting rid of me” vibe – but will they?
— Kate McCann (@KateEMcCann) October 25, 2022 From my colleague John Crace
Low bar and all that. But that was one of Truss’s better speeches
— John Crace (@JohnJCrace) October 25, 2022 Liz Truss arriving at Buckingham Palace. Photograph: Yui Mok/PAFrom ITV’s Harry Horton
Several dozen MPs came to Downing Street to applaud Liz Truss as she departed, including Jacob Rees-Mogg. Overheard one MP saying “it would’ve been nice to see a few more here.”
— Harry Horton (@harry_horton) October 25, 2022 Liz Truss’ husband, Hugh O’Leary, with their daughters, Frances and Liberty, listening to Truss’s speech in Downing Street. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/APHere is the full text of Liz Truss’s farewell speech.
Liz Truss giving her farewell speech. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPATruss’s valedictory speech – snap verdictIt was all rather Boris Johnson; not because she quoted from Seneca (although at least when Johnson quoted from the classics, you knew he had read them in the original), but because she did not apologise, or express any contrition at all for the problems created by the decisions she took as prime minister – not just for her party, but for the country as a whole. In the past, she has accepted that the mini-budget went too far, too fast, and that she campaigned on a policy platform that turned out to be undeliverable. But, listening to this speech, you would conclude that she can’t see that she did anything wrong.
But it was not just that; the key argument from the speech was that actually she was right after all, and that the UK needs exactly the sort of “bold” policy agenda that she was offering. (See 10.21am.) In the summer Marc Stears, who taught Truss at Oxford, wrote in an article that her essays were always “creative” and “unconventional”, and that she would stick to her theories even after being presented with “fact after fact” showing she was wrong. Her thesis today was much the same – original, certainly, but untethered to what actually happened.
Liz Truss speaking outside No 10. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty ImagesLiz Truss is now on her way to Buckingham Palace to tender her resignation to the king.
Truss emphasises her support for Ukraine, and says she wishes Rishi Sunak “every success for the good of our country”.
She thanks her family and friends, her team at No 10 and her protection officers.
And she says she looks forward to spending more time in her South West Norfolk constituency and serving it from the constituency.
And that’s it.