10 hours ago
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Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has sent a ineligible "cease and desist" missive to Sir Keir Starmer demanding helium halt saying she "crashed the economy".
Her lawyers reason the assertion made repeatedly by Sir Keir is "false and defamatory" and harmed her politically successful the run-up to losing her South West Norfolk spot successful the wide election.
Truss was the UK's shortest-serving PM, forced to resign aft conscionable 49 days successful bureau erstwhile borrowing costs soared successful the aftermath of her government's mini-budget.
Downing Street has been approached for comment.
But Commons person Lucy Powell told MPs "we won't cease and desist from telling the information that they [the Conservatives] crashed the economy".
Also speaking successful the Commons, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said the actions taken by the Conservatives successful authorities were "not conscionable reckless and negligent - they had a nonstop interaction connected household finances".
Meanwhile, the lb has dropped to its lowest level successful implicit a twelvemonth and authorities borrowing costs person continued to emergence arsenic concerns astir the nationalist finances mount.
Sterling began to autumn successful worth aft UK 10-year borrowing costs roseate again, surging to their highest level for 16 years.
Economists person warned these rising costs could unit further taxation rises oregon cuts successful spending arsenic the authorities tries to conscionable its self-imposed borrowing targets.
Powell said the outgo of authorities indebtedness often fluctuated "because of planetary markets", but argued the Truss government's mini-budget, successful September 2022, which included wide-ranging taxation cuts, had led to a marketplace absorption "directly and immediately".
A "cease and desist" missive usually represents a informing that the recipient volition look ineligible enactment if they proceed the allegedly unlawful activity.
In the missive sent to Sir Keir connected Wednesday, Truss's lawyers accidental his statements astir their lawsuit are "false and misleading".
"Their work is not lone highly damaging but besides grossly defamatory and indefensible... It would beryllium hard to debar a decision that they were made maliciously," the missive adds.
Truss's lawyers accidental they are seeking "an amicable ground connected which you volition hold to cease repetition of what is intelligibly a factually incorrect and defamatory connection astir our client.
"This petition is made successful the discourse of the basal levels of civility which is owed betwixt elder politicians, and we spot that you volition respond accordingly."
The missive argues that the movements successful fiscal markets during Truss's tenure successful No 10 should not beryllium classified arsenic an economical crash.
The weeks pursuing the mini-budget saw adverse marketplace absorption and owe costs soar.
At the Conservative Party league successful October, Truss said it would beryllium "economic illiteracy" to suggest that taxation rises from Labour - astatine that constituent anticipated successful Rachel Reeves' upcoming archetypal Budget - were a effect of her economical inheritance.
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