Never before has one Tory created so much upheaval in such a space of time. But it looks like the new normal in the UK is perpetual crisis.
In this episode of the Left To Burn podcast, The Battleground’s Josh White and John Foster look at the chaos unfolding in UK politics, as well as the rise of Giorgia Meloni in Italy and what it says about the far-right.
It should be a triumph for Italy and the UK to have women leaders, but both have brought regressive politics to the forefront.
Meloni is just the newest populist to break through.
By contrast, Liz Truss inherited the dysfunctional post-pandemic, post-Brexit economy left over from the Johnson years. She thought she could revivify British capitalism with the biggest tax giveaway in decades.
Truss is paying the price for this hubris, incurring the swift wrath of the financial markets. Scapegoating Kwasi Kwarteng for the mini-budget is not going to save Truss. Sooner or later, Truss will have to resign.
All of this is excellent news for Keir Starmer.
Labour is polling better than it ever has in its history. The next election could well result in the first Labour victory since 2005.
The Tories have just over two years to run out this experiment. They have to hold a general election by January 2025.
A lot can happen before January 2025. This timeline is too short for the Conservative Party and too long for Labour.
Meanwhile, the Italian far-right has won a major victory with Meloni taking power.
However, the good news may be that the Brothers of Italy are more likely to be captured by the state than recreate Mussolini’s regime.
National populists often struggle to wield power effectively. Let’s hope that their UK failings are a precursor to what will happen in Italy.
Photograph courtesy of Joel Schalit. All rights reserved.