An official’s defenestration rattles the Treasury
Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, seeks new leadership
For many Treasury officials, September 8th would be the strangest day of their careers. At 11.30am Liz Truss, the new prime minister, unveiled one of the largest fiscal interventions in recent British history: an open-ended commitment to subsidise energy bills for two years. Just after 5pm came word that Kwasi Kwarteng, the chancellor, had fired Sir Tom Scholar, the Treasury’s top civil servant. At 6.30pm, the queen’s death was announced.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Before politics paused”
Britain September 17th 2022
- How the death of Elizabeth II has affected Britain
- The queen helped effect a change in Anglo-Irish relations
- What sort of king will Charles III be?
- Britain’s longest-serving ruler strengthened the monarchy
- How Britain has changed since Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953
- Will Charles III keep the Commonwealth going?
- An official’s defenestration rattles the Treasury
- The monarchy’s secret weapon: insincerity
From the September 17th 2022 edition
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