Scottish Lib Dems call for general election as Kwarteng sacked as Chancellor

The Scottish Lib Dems have called for a general election after the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng on Friday.

Mr Kwarteng, who served in the position for just over a month, was relieved of his duties by Prime Minister Liz Truss after dashing back from a trip to Washington.

The ex-chancellor’s mini-budget sent the pound tumbling and forced the Bank of England to step in.

An eventual U-turn of scrapping the top rate of tax was not enough to save Mr Kwarteng’s job, however, with speculation rife before the announcement of his firing that much of the economic plans would have to be dismantled.

Following confirmation of the move on Friday, Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton pushed for a general election to be called.

“This mustn’t just be the end of Kwarteng’s disastrous chancellorship, it should be the death knell of the Conservatives’ reckless mismanagement of our economy,” he said.

“We owe it to the households, individuals and businesses up and down Scotland, who have been hit hard by this crisis, to take firm action now.

“Across Scotland, people are angry, fed up and worried about the future.

“Most of all, they are furious that Conservative MPs seem to think this is an acceptable way to conduct the government of our country in these difficult times.

“Enough is enough.

“It started with Boris Johnson failing our country, and now Liz Truss is trashing our economy. It’s time for us to have our say in a general election.”

Labour are currently riding high in the polls, with some suggesting a significant reduction in Tory support, making any election an unlikely prospect in the near future.

Meanwhile, SNP deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald sought to highlight the Prime Minister’s involvement in the ex-chancellor’s economic plans.

“No attempt to pass the buck can disguise the fact that Liz Truss is up to her neck in this,” she said.

“The disastrous policies in the UK budget were the central plank of her Tory leadership campaign. It was her reckless incompetence that trashed the UK economy – and she is to blame for the damage to people’s mortgage rates, pensions and household budgets.

“With her chancellor gone, it’s unclear what justification there is for Liz Truss remaining in post.”

Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater added that, as well as Mr Kwarteng, the Prime Minister should also resign.

“It’s not just the chancellor who needs to go,” she said.

“It is also this dangerous Prime Minister who appointed him and the cabinet who have supported him every step of the way.

“This has already gone on too long, and far too many people are suffering. If Liz Truss wants to emerge with any shred of credibility then it can’t just be her chancellor that leaves Downing Street, it must also be her.”