Kemi Badenoch now criticises Liz Truss’ mini budget, but she was a cheerleader for it at the time

The Tory leader Kemi Badenoch issued a heavy criticism of the Labour government’s economic policies in the Telegraph this weekend.

Alone, this would be unremarkable. An opposition leader criticising the government is hardly surprising.

What was significant was the nature of that criticism. Badenoch wrote “For all their mocking of Liz Truss, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have not learnt the lessons of the mini-budget and are making even bigger mistakes.

“They continue to borrow more and more, unable and unwilling to make the spending cuts needed to balance the books.”

These comments mark one of the first public criticism’s Badenoch has made of Truss’ time in Number 10, almost three years on from the mini budget.

But those of you with long memories might recall that Badenoch didn’t have these concerns about Truss’ mini-budget at the time it was being implemented. Indeed, while the rest of the country was shocked by the unfunded tax cuts for the rich and the pound hitting an all time low against the dollar, Badenoch was cheering it on.

On the day the then chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced the mini-budget, Badenoch tweeted: “For decades, we have been too focused on how we divide the pie and not enough on growing it. The PM and Chancellor are right to change that with their Growth Plan Tax cuts for all Energy support for people and business Business investment unleashed ”

That’s more than a little awkward…

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward

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