Truss sends Starmer cease and desist letter over claim she ‘crashed the economy’

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox

Get our free View from Westminster email

Get our free View from Westminster email

Liz Truss has issued Sir Keir Starmer with a cease and desist letter, warning him to stop saying she “crashed the economy”.

The former prime minister’s lawyers have said the remarks – made since the lead up to the general election – are likely to “cause serious harm to her reputation”, claiming they are “false and defamatory”.

They also suggest that assertions made by the Labour leader before the July general election contributed to Ms Truss losing her South West Norfolk seat.

Sir Keir has repeatedly claimed Ms Truss crashed the economy, referring to the weeks after her 2022 mini-budget, which sparked gilt market freefall and a run on sterling after she introduced unfunded tax cuts.

The letter, originally seen by the Telegraph, argues that the fallout did not amount to an economic crash, since there was no fall in economic output or rise in unemployment.

More to follow…