Kemi Badenochs Shadow Chancellor Supported Liz Trusss Mini Budget

Kemi Badenoch’s new shadow chancellor praised Liz Truss’s mini-Budget even as it sent the UK economy into a tailspin.

Andrew Griffith was one of the architects of the former prime ministers’ disastrous plan for £45 billion-worth of unfunded tax cuts.

In the days after the “economic growth plan” was delivered by the then chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in September 2022, interest rates soared, inflation spiked and the value of the pound collapsed.

With the money markets in turmoil and Truss’s premiership in crisis, Griffith went out to defend the mini-Budget, insisting it would deliver economic growth and benefit ordinary people.

He said: “We think they’re the right plans because those plans make our economy competitive.

“What we politicians are responsible for is making the economic decisions that will drive continued growth.

“One of the things that’s bedevilled our economy is our inability to reach that top 2.5% rate of growth. It happened before the 2008 financial crisis, we can get back to do so with the programme of supply side reform that was embedded in the growth plan.”

He said Truss’s government should “get on and deliver that plan”.

“That’s what I, the chancellor, my colleagues in government are focused on – getting on delivering that growth plan,” he said. “That is what’s going to allow consumers to benefit.”

But within days, Kwarteng was forced to U-turn on his plans for huge tax cuts.

He was then sacked, with Truss herself being forced to resign shortly afterwards after a revolt by Tory MPs.

Nevertheless, Badenoch has decided to give Griffith the plum job of shadow chancellor after sacking his predecessor, Mel Stride, as part of a Tory frontbench reshuffle.

A senior Tory source said said Griffith would be “a no-nonsense, pro-growth shadow chancellor with real business experience”.

The source added: “Andrew and Kemi are in complete lockstep on how we back business, bring down taxes and regulation and get Britain working again.”

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