Cabinet rallies around PM ahead of showdown with MPs

Reports over the weekend have suggested that the Government is becoming increasingly conscious that it cannot not win a battle with its own MPs over benefits.

Following a disastrous party conference season which saw Sir Keir Starmer rise to a record high poll lead while the Tories descended into civil war over spending plans, four key allies of Ms Truss sent a clear message to MPs ahead of tomorrow’s return to Parliament.

Suella Braverman,the Home Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Penny Mordaunt the Commons Leader and Ranil Jayawardena, the Environment Secretary, called on rebellious backbenchers to back the leader or end up in opposition.

“Those working with Labour to undermine our Prime Minister are putting the Conservatives’ chance of victory at the next election in real danger,” said Ms Braverman in the Sun on Sunday, despite twice setting out policy positions at Tory Conference that were at odds with her leader.

In his article for the Mail On Sunday, Mr Zahawi called for MPs to “hold their nerve” to stop the UK falling into the hands of Labour and the SNP.

“All my colleagues have a part to play in delivering for the British people. We need all talents helping our nation now.” added Ms Mordaunt in the Sunday Telegraph.

“Division will only play into the hands of those who would take our country in the wrong direction,” she added.

It comes as Ms Truss faces multiple challenges to her premiership and her plan for growth from within her cabinet, her own backbenches, and groups which she has dismissed as the “enemies” of her plan.

Opinion polling by Opinium on Sunday put Ms Truss’ personal approval rating at minus 47.

Kwasi Kwarteng, her Chancellor, reportedly said her chances of survival are only at “40-60” per cent, but has denied that he made the comments.

Ministers are reportedly set to confront the Prime Minister tomorrow at a cabinet meeting to make it clear that she should rule out raising benefits in line with earnings, rather than by inflation, which would see a real-terms cut to struggling families.

There are concerns within the party that Ms Truss cannot win a vote on her reported benefit plans, with Wendy Morton, Ms Truss’ chief whip, blamed with failing to grasp the scale of discontent on the backbenches which also saw the Prime Minister U-turn on her tax cut pledge last week.

Ms Truss is also facing rebellions from her MPs on plans to cut international aid, as well as a bonfire of planning and environment red tape.

The Telegraph reported last week that ministers are considering ditching a second Rishi Sunak measure which would see the UK’s spending of international aid restored to 0.7 per cent of GDP, after it was briefly lowered due to the pandemic.

Andrew Mitchell, the Tory MP who led the attempt to block the reduction of international aid spending to 0.5 at the time said that it would “certainly not be in Britain’s national interests”.

“Were the Government to go back on that commitment [...] it is unlikely that Parliament would support it.”

A coalition of charities and politicians have called on Liz Truss to ditch her plans to scrap environmental protections and pro-nature subsidies for farmers.

Senior Tories including Michael Gove, George Eustice and William Hague have backed environmental charities in their attempts to force further U-turns over the plans.