Liz Truss sends Starmer cease and desist letter over claims she crashed economy
Lawyers representing Liz Truss have sent a cease and desist letter to Sir Keir Starmer asking him to stop saying the former prime minister crashed the economy.
The letter, first reported by The Telegraph, states that the Prime Minister’s claims that his predecessor “crashed the economy” or was “crashing the economy” are defamatory and “false and misleading”.
It also suggests that saying the former Conservative prime minster crashed the economy “were likely to materially impact public opinion” at the last general election when she lost her Norfolk seat.
Ms Truss, who became prime minister in September 2022, announced her resignation less than seven weeks later following a mini-budget in which she announced wide-ranging tax cuts.
June 2024
The letter – sent by lawyers at Asserson – refers to comments made by Sir Keir in June 2024 in which he talks about Ms Truss “crashing” or having “crashed” the economy.
“Of particular concern are the false and defamatory public statements you made about our client in the lead-up to the UK general election from late May 2024,” it reads.
“At a time when you knew or ought to have known that those statements were false; and the statements were likely to materially impact public opinion of our client whilst she was standing as the parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in South West Norfolk”.
The letter argues that the market movement during Ms Truss’s tenure in September and October 2022 should not be classified as a crash of the economy.
The weeks following Ms Truss’s mini-budget saw adverse market reaction and mortgage costs soar.
‘Ignorance’
Referring to the movements in gilts and exchange rates at that time, the letter says: “Such rate movements cannot properly be described as a crash of the economy.
“To use such an expression is to display ignorance of basic economics and common usage of the term ‘crash’ when referred to an economy.”
The lawyers also suggest that Sir Keir’s repetition of the claims in the lead up to last year’s general election “gives rise to a strong inference” that they were intended to “damage our client’s reputation and/or for political purposes”.
It asks for the Prime Minister to “immediately cease and desist” from repeating the claims.
At the Conservative Party conference in October, Ms Truss said it would be “economic illiteracy” to suggest that tax rises from Labour – at that point anticipated in Rachel Reeves’ upcoming first budget – were a result of her economic inheritance.
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Who? This Liz? Blink and you miss her.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/04/blue-plaque-erected-at-walthamstow-tesco-to-commemorate-lettuce-that-outlasted-liz-truss
Liz Truss and the Conservative Party – our free speech champions.
Defamation Act 2013, section 3: defence of “honest opinion”. The “cease and desist” letter is ludicrous.
Pots calling kettles black ! Truss’ brief tour of duty was damaging but she was out within 50 days. Starmer’s tour of duty is already damaging but we’ll be lucky if we get rid of him and Reeves within a year. More likely their thick hides will allow them to do 5 years.
I’m sure there’s plenty of independent commentary saying exactly the same thing, she’s deluded. Always has been I think.
I think the Tories need a Cease and Desist letter telling them to stop trying to re-write the narrative of the last 14 years and attempting to convince everyone they did a good job. We lived through it and we need to make sure we remember every awful day of it so they can never do it again.
‘I’m sure there’s plenty of independent commentary saying exactly the same thing …’
Like, to take just one instance, quite a large number of mortgage payers … and frustrated would-be mortgage applicants!
The tories have got form for rewriting history. Just look at the 1970s: Edward Heath’s government created high inflation and the Labour government that replaced him spent the rest of the decade trying to bring inflation under control. And yet in any discourse about inflation during the 1970s it is somehow always the fault of the Labour government. I’m no fan of Keir Starmer but fully expect the tories and their XL Bullies in the press to continually push the line that our economic problems are all their fault and not that of the tories and their previous 14 years… Read more »
This letter should be stuck onto the lettuce portrait that should be on the stairs at Nr 10.
We need to continue the ‘branding’ of delusional politicians to deter future ‘characters’.
From Liz The Lettuce failing to last as long as the genuine vegetable to Born Guessing guessing that we’d have to accept his toxic cashback funded election.
On a technical (but fundamental) point you can only defame someone if they have reputation that can be seriously harmed – see section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/26/section/1
Is this GRETIN of a Woman for real her and her Chancellor crashed the economy this is not made up its fact they did not consult with anyone just bulldozed it through she accepts no responsability for her actions arrogant and pig ignorant
Dear lawyers for Ms Truss,
She no longer has any reputation to damage.
Ah, No10 presser today suggests Sir S will continue.
Looks at the people/events behind this, Lilico (IEA, well known think tank of bonkers and Truss handler) and Pearson pod cast (telegraph mad un, and FSU, which is ironic).
Who on earth is Liz Truss??
Pass.
Let’s just hope and pray that we do not get to the state where Truss will be able to say to Starmer, you crashed the economy. At the moment things do not look good for Labour.
Whatever goes wrong for the next 13.5 years will be fault of the Cons. They were happy to keep blaming Labour for all that time so the political precedent has been set. But if we get lucky, the Tory economic sabotage will turn out to be so bad that there’s no alternative but to call in the IMF for a Brexit bailout who will demand we re-join the single market or face a Greek-style haircut.
Well lets be fair Labour did give away our gold with Brown’s Bottom. However have no fears about Labour blaming the Tories for the next 10 years that will not happen.