Kwasi Kwarteng has admitted he feels “partially responsible” for the Conservative Party’s struggles this election.
The former chancellor, who delivered Liz Truss’ mini-budget in September 2022, nonetheless made clear he believed the prime minister and others in the party also shoulder some blame.
Kwarteng is one of many former Conservative MPs and ministers not standing for re-election on 4 July.
He served for 38 days as chancellor of the exchequer between September and October 2022. Following turmoil on the financial markets in the light of the mini-budget, Kwarteng was sacked by Truss, his longtime ally.
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It made him the second shortest ever serving chancellor.
Kwarteng previously sat in the cabinet as the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy between 2021 and 2022. In this role, he became the UK’s first black Conservative cabinet minister.
Asked if he felt responsible for his party’s current position, the senior Conservative told GB News: “I feel partially responsible. But I don’t feel responsible for [Rishi Sunak] leaving D-Day early. I don’t feel responsible for the Reform party which was on 4 per cent in October 2022 being on nearly 20 per cent now.
“I don’t feel responsible for the election betting scandal nor do I feel responsible for the fact that this election has happened way before anyone was expecting it.”
Speaking to GB News, it was suggested to Kwarteng that the prime minister is campaigning every day despite knowing that he is not going to win.
The former chancellor replied: “I think it is very difficult for him, for any prime minister. The only thing I can remember which is similar was 1997 when you kind of knew that Labour would get in and I think John Major and the cabinet, they looked pretty tired and they were going out to campaign and everyone knew what the result would be.
“It feels a bit like that this year. There could still be surprises, we don’t know. But at the moment, when you have got cabinet ministers warning about Labour supermajorities, I think Jeremy Hunt and Grant Shapps have mentioned that. You can see where the thing is going.”
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