Liz Truss backed by Sittingbourne and Sheppey MP Gordon Henderson
Published: 11:56, 13 October 2022
Updated: 16:26, 13 October 2022
A Kent MP says he has no qualms about Liz Truss and her premiership and there should be no rowing back on the government’s economic plans.
Sittingbourne and Sheppey's Gordon Henderson (Con) is standing full square behind an increasingly beleaguered PM – stating her growth strategy is the right way forward.
The Tory leader has been taken to task over the impact the government’s measures have had on mortgages and household bills.
Just a few weeks into her premiership, she is struggling to face down critics in her own party.
Mr Henderson, who has represented his constituency since 2010, feels those calling for a change in direction are wrong.
He asked: “Do they not want us to help with their energy bills? Do they not want us to reduce National Insurance?
"Do they not want us to keep a low corporation tax because an increase would crucify a lot of our small businesses in Kent?
"Do they not want us to cut income tax?”
“I have no reservations about Liz Truss being Prime Minister. I take the view that none of us are perfect in real life; I am the last person to criticise.”
On the issue of benefits, he said they should increase but there was a debate to be had about whether they should increase in line with the consumer price index or wage inflation.
Asked what he would say to someone facing a hike in their mortgage rate, he said: “The facts are that interest rates are going up all over the world; interest rates are higher in a lot of EU countries.
"What I would say to them is that a government actually can do very little about global interest rates and the impact on the British economy.
"What we can do is help people affected as much as we can, which is what we are doing.”
“If someone is facing an increase in their mortgage rate, if we can reduce their tax burden, that will help compensate for that.”
In a series of interviews this Thurs morning, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly dismissed the idea of having a new leader.
He said: “We have got to recognise we do need to bring certainty to the markets.
"I think changing the leadership would be a disastrously bad idea, not just politically but also economically.”
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Paul Francis