Liz Truss of fights for credibility in the United Kingdom

Liz Truss, the British Prime Minister, had anticipated that her governing Conservative Party’s annual conference would be her crowning achievement, but instead she was forced into a humiliating U-turn, leaving her and her team struggling for legitimacy.

Truss’s reversal of a decision to eliminate Britain’s highest rate of income tax on Monday, after less than a month in office, has left her exposed to criticism that she was not only poorly advised but was also misrepresented as a lady who kept her word.

The U-turn came less than 24 hours after Truss defended a pledge to slash the top 45% tax rate, which prompted parliamentarians to warn her that she risked losing any future election by resurrecting the ‘nasty party’ moniker.

Truss, who was in Birmingham this week for the Conservative Party’s annual conference, said she and her finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, had listened to those voices. However, other conference attendees questioned if she could now command authority over future policy challenges before the 2024 election.