Voters must take Liz Truss’s ‘bitter-tasting medicine’ on economy, says foreign secretary

Terrible Tory poll numbers are ‘necessary blip’ – but support will come back, says James Cleverly

Voters who have deserted the Tories will return to the party after taking the “bitter-tasting medicine” of Liz Truss’s economic plan, the foreign secretary has said.

James Cleverly said the huge poll leads enjoyed by Labour were only a “blip” sparked by the radical nature of the prime minister’s borrowing-fuelling tax cut spree.

“People aren’t used to hearing about the stimulating effect of tax cuts,” he told Times Radio. “People don’t necessarily like bitter-tasting medicine, but it will make us all collectively, economically, feel better.”

The foreign secretary added: “And when we do start feeling better, I’ve no doubt it will be reflected in the polls. This is a blip. It’s a necessary blip … Those voters will start coming back to us.”

Mr Cleverly denied Tory infighting and insisted Ms Truss will lead the Tories into the next general election – saying it was “ridiculous” to suggest she has 10 days to save her leadership.

Former cabinet minister Grant Shapps has suggested she has only around 10 days to turn around her ailing premiership, warning that Tory MPs would not “sit on their hands” if the terrible poll numbers continue.

Mr Cleverly also blamed the media for chaotic U-turn on the plan to axe the 45p rate of tax for the wealthiest. “You guys were constantly talking about the 45p tax rate, which is why we had to take it away,” he told Sky News.

Asked if he was saying the PM had changing policy under “pressure” from the media, the foreign secretary said: “No, what we said was, it was a distraction … Because it was the only thing you guys wanted to talk about.

He added: “We weren’t able to talk about the tax cuts for 30 million working people, the growth zones, the support package for people trying to pay their energy bills, the growth plan for the economy.”

One YouGov poll put Sir Keir Starmer’s party 33 points ahead of the Tories, while Labour has stormed into a 38-point lead in the crucial “red wall” seats in a new Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey.

Mr Cleverly claiming the Tory party conference had been “brilliant” with a “great atmosphere. Asked if the government had been arguing, he said: “We really, really haven’t – genuinely.”

But the cabinet minister suggested his colleagues such as home secretary Suella Braverman and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt had broken collective responsibility by speaking out on the 45p tax rate and the possibility of benefit cuts.

Asked about Ms Braverman expressing her frustration with the 45p tax rate U-turn and attack on rebel MPs staging a “coup”, Mr Cleverly said says views best shared “around the cabinet table”.

Grilled on Ms Mordaunt’s desire to seek benefit rise in line with inflation, he said it was “better and easier” and “more appropriate” to feed your ideas to the PM privately.

Mr Cleverly declined to say whether benefits should rise in line with inflation, and said his colleagues should not try to “pre-announce” the decision at the Tory conference.

The foreign secretary was also asked about chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s comments suggesting that the “pressure” of the Queen’s death had led to mistakes in the handling of the mini-Budget.

Mr Cleverly suggested that the death of the Queen had not allowed government to prepare everyone properly for the radical plans which sparked market turmoil.

He told LBC: “Understandably and quite rightly when her late Majesty passed away, we stopped talking about the usual things government talks about … But, of course, what it meant was we weren’t able to talk through and explain the full range of things we did.”

Michael Gove denied he was leading a push against Ms Truss on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday. Asked if he was a “coup” leader, he said: “No.”

Ms Braverman also downplayed the row with Gove and claimed the “argy bargy” was over. Asked if she had "kissed and made up" with Mr Gove, she told Today: “Well I have never broken up with Mr Gove... he’s a friend of mine.

She added: “We all had our argy-bargy then. Now she’s got a mandate. The opposition, the enemy is Labour, it’s not within.”