Mentions of Truss’s ‘Disastrous’ Mini-Budget Omitted from King’s Speech Summary
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss raised concerns with the head of the Civil Service regarding the inclusion of politicized content in government documents, which she deemed as a personal and political attack.
Language in government documents describing Liz Truss’s mini budget as “disastrous” has been removed following her request.
In a letter to the head of the Civil Service, Simon Case, Ms. Truss expressed that the politicized remarks violated rules of impartiality in briefing notes related to the Budget Responsibility Bill.
The text in question referred to the “disastrous Liz Truss ‘mini budget'” announced on September 23, 2022, and its potential impact on Britain’s financial credibility.
Following Ms. Truss’s request, the document has been updated to exclude references to her.
Ms. Truss emphasized that such personal and political attacks do not align with the Civil Service Code and should not be present in documents produced by civil servants.
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office confirmed that the references have been removed and the document has been updated.
The criticism from Ms. Truss highlights concerns about the size and role of the Civil Service, as raised by a recent report from Policy Exchange.
Policy Exchange also recommended changes to ensure compliance with UK law and government policies without constraints based on international laws.
The report also cautioned against giving excessive power to external bodies and regulators, emphasizing the importance of maintaining control over policy implementation.
PA Media and Lily Zhou contributed to this report.
