Liz Truss has sacked Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, just weeks after he took the job, with commentators and members of the public blasting his short-lived tenure.
The news was met with mocking memes from Twitter users who reacted quickly to it. 11.
Many headlines were dominated by government quotes and headlines that have “aged badly” since the rumours surfaced. There are suggestions that Kwarteng would keep his job, as well as statements from sources within government and Kwarteng.
Joe Lycett (comedian) joked that Lycett had joined the anti-growth coalition – Truss’s term for those who oppose her economic policy.
Before suggestions emerged that Mr Kwarteng is in danger of being fired, Mr Kwarteng flew early today from US talks to hold ‘urgent discussions’ with the Prime Minster.
Many photos of his flight path were posted, suggesting that he was making a U turn. This just hours before Prime Minister Tony Blair is scheduled to make an announcement about re-rowing back elements of the mini budget.
One user on Twitter responded to news about his firing by calling Truss & Kwarteng, “Clueless”.
A mockup was posted of Liz Truss and the Chancellor as Cher and Dionne in the 90s chick flick with the same title. They wrote ‘Kwasi Kwarteng sprints back from America to be sacked. Liz Truss!’.
Some people were quick to draw comparisons to Nadhim Zihawi’s career as the Chancellor of Boris Johnson’s last days.
Kwarteng, who resigned after only 38 days, is now the second-shortest serving chancellor in British modern politics.
Zahawi served the shortest tenure of any politician, with just 62 days. This was during a very brief Boris Johnson reshuffle.
A second post features a photo of Kwarteng on University Challenge. It is captioned “Who was the longest-serving postwar chancellor to not die in office?” BZZZZTTT “Kwarteng, Cambridge” “Correct”‘.
Some Twitter users called him and Liz Truss, Prime Minister Liz Truss, ‘toasts’. They also questioned Truss’s mathematics skills following the mini-budget.
One meme displayed a Ladybird children’s book called Counting with Kwasi. The picture featured a child writing on the chalkboard, ‘4-5 = 9’.
A cartoon posted by one Tweeter shows a ‘£0’ bank note with Truss and Kwarteng on the front.
A press conference will be held by the Prime Minister at 2 p.m. She is widely expected to give in to pressure from political and economic forces to raise corporate tax.
Kwarteng, in a letter to the editor, stated that he’d been asked to’stand aside’ and not quit. However, he maintained his belief that tax cuts should be continued.