Britain's new Treasury chief insists Truss remains in control

The new head of the British Treasury insisted on Sunday on the Prime Minister Liz Truss retains control of her government despite having had to roll back her signature economic policies weeks into her premiership.

Jeremy Hunt was recruited to lead the Treasury after Truss sacked Kwasi Kwarteng amid growing pressure following the market's turbulent reaction to the new administration's 'mini-budget'.

'The prime minister is in the driver's seat,' said Hunt, a former Foreign and Health Secretary, to the BBC when asked if he now wields all the power in Downing Street. .

Truss and Kwarteng had slowly unveiled key elements of their economic vision, including tax cuts for high earners and halting corporate tax hikes, before The prime minister The minister gave in to unstable financial markets and falling poll numbers and sacked Kwarteng.

Hunt has now said taxes will rise and public spending will fall, despite Britain's growing cost of living crisis.

< p>He said he was surprised to get the call to return to the Cabinet, but was "honored" to join the government because he shared Truss's desire to prioritize economic growth.

"She changed the way we're going to get there, but she didn't change the destination, which is to make grow the country,” Hunt said.

It’s unclear if Truss, who throughout this summer’s leadership campaign got the backing of a majority of Conservative Party members, but not its lawmakers, may ward off any plot to oust him.

Tory lawmaker Robert Halfon told Sky News on Sunday that many of his colleagues remained unhappy and that the situation "has improved".

Opposition Leader Keir Starmer insisted on the Labor Party's call for an immediate general election to restore stability, saying that the Tories are 'at the end of the road'.

Hunt suggested an election is not an imminent one, saying Truss will be judged on his government's performance over the next 18 months . The Conservatives want to win back the public's trust before any national vote.

Recent polls have put the Conservative Party at around 25% of the vote, a far cry from the 42.4% that they received in December 2019, which gave then-leader Boris Johnson a commanding majority in Parliament.

The current Prime Minister has argued that she still has credibility during a four-question press conference on Friday when she announced Hunt's appointment.

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