LIZ Truss’s parlous position as Prime Minister has been further exposed by her appointment of Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor. The question is, just who is in charge at No 10? The Conservative party is in a state of confusion, riven by a mood music that is one of mutiny.

Prime Minister Liz Truss’s short premiership of five weeks has been both eventful and brutal. Her casino-style economic plan has failed disastrously, sending the financial markets into uncertainty and turmoil. It has made a nonsense of the Conservatives’ long-held assertion that they are the party of economic competence.

Liz Truss is comparatively safe from a formal leadership challenge for a year. However, these are extraordinary times in political terms and the atmosphere throughout Westminster is febrile and fast-moving. Just how many letters of no confidence in the prime minister has Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee, received?

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On Laura Kuenssberg’s Sunday programme, Jeremy Hunt ostensibly defended his PM, stating that another leadership campaign was “the last thing that people really want.” However, it would not have gone unnoticed that Hunt has come in like some new broom and has swept aside his PM’s economic agenda of tax cuts and the assurance not to cut public spending. As a former Tory minister put it: “He’s gone out and said he’s in charge."

The balance of power in Downing Street has changed address and it now resides at No 11.

Sandy Gordon
Edinburgh

A THEORY – Liz Truss really has resigned, but has been persuaded (for the sake of the Tory party) to go on living at No 10 while Jeremy Hunt really does the job of PM and uses her as a glove puppet. Who would notice any change in her behaviour?

Hugh Noble
Appin

WITH a fourth Chancellor in as many months, an awkward and at times terrified-looking Prime Minister held a short, unbelievably bad press conference. In a recent Commons pronouncement PM Liz Truss urged “growth, growth, growth” but neglected to say how it could be achieved. She ignored the cost of living crisis, including massive mortgage costs and the reality of climate change. As the economy crashed, confidence at home and abroad evaporated.

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Liz Truss, in attacking political rivals along with environmental campaigners, trade unions and think tanks, disregards the democratic process. Furthermore, in totally ignoring the First Minister of Scotland this UK PM is seriously undermining her “precious” Union. She is simply not up to the job as the UK slips into a winter of discontent. She may be worse than Boris but at least he had some craic!

In truth, within this voluntary union, who really decides Scotland’s future? Is it the people of Scotland through their elected representatives, or a dysfunctional Westminster government and Prime Minister we did not vote for?

Grant Frazer
Newtonmore

DESPITE the collapse of the UK Government, the sacking of the Chancellor and the crashing of the pound, the First Minister’s use of the word “detest” still seems to be causing much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Tory circles.

I’m not a regular viewer of BBC Debate Night, as I seldom watch the BBC in any case, however I did catch Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour’s performance on the show on Wednesday, and I really wish I hadn’t. Aided by a number of Tory plants in the audience, and a set-up question, he claimed the First Minister’s phrasing that she detested Tories bordered on being a “hate crime”.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon's 'detest Tories' comment borders on hate crime, says Tory MSP

I will not indulge in whitabootery and lay out a long line of British nationalist commentary from the UK Government or their supporters as a counter-argument. I’d be here all year. I would, however, address one thing Mr Balfour said. He stated that you can detest Tory policies without detesting individuals.

Can I just point out that Tory policies do not originate in a vacuum? They originate from the Tories themselves, be it at the lower levels where they feed their petty, spiteful demands up the chain, or from the top where they chase the right-wing voters, promising to sanction more people, deport more people, punish criminals harder and heavier, and puff themselves up as they play havoc with other people’s lives and destroy families in the UK and abroad.

Many Tories deceive themselves that they are “good” Tories who only want the best for their community, while turning a blind eye to the less palatable activities of their party, but I’d remind Jeremy that there’s an old Scottish saying, “If ye run wi’ the craws, ye get shot wi’ the craws”. If Jeremy Balfour does not want to be associated with such detestable, inhumane and repellent policies then perhaps he should join a less detestable, inhumane and repellent party which has less detestable, inhumane and repellent members.

Until that day he should not be surprised if people are less than enamoured with him and his circle of friends, and choose to find him as detestable as those he surrounds himself with.

Jim Cassidy
Airdrie

SATURDAY’S letter about Labour selling out dates back to Ramsay Mac, but the biggest sell-out to the right wing was Blair cancelling clause four of the party’s constitution to secure for the workers the full fruits of their labour. Every Labour government since Attlee’s has sold out the working class and sided with the right-wing establishment. Starmer is no exception he’s even worse with his witch-hunt against the left. It’s true the SNP have acted in the interests of the people with free prescriptions, for example. A social democratic Scotland under the SNP would be best for us.

Colin Beattie
via email