The historic town of Downham Market, in Liz Truss’s south-west Norfolk constituency, should be a personal bulwark in political crisis and economic turmoil. This weekend, the Prime Minister’s confidence in her own Tory heart has been eroding.
As Downing Street officials consider whether Truss is now in his final days in office and MPs plan a possible succession, the verdict on his record among the city’s market stalls, cafes and busy shopping streets of the market was tough.
Sitting in the town’s Greggs bakery, Ian Bond, 74, a retired engineering manager who was born in Downham Market, said he saw the mini-budget as the Tory party’s “Black Friday”.
“It’s been disastrous, especially for young people with mortgages and people trying to adjust their finances every week to the pound,” he said. “He has lost credibility.”
One description kept emerging to sum up the new administration: disasters. The only consolation for Truss was that some people who spoke to the Observer said they could not face the prospect of another leader being imposed on the country.
Sue Marchant, 67, who runs the Groovy Sue clothing stall at the market, said one sign of the cost of living crisis was increased demand for warmer clothes. “I’m selling more clothes like big ponchos,” he said. “People work from home and don’t turn on the heating.”
Marchant said Truss must change his political style to survive: “It’s a tough job running the country and she needs to be more open. She should have stood up in her press conference and said: ‘Come on, put'”.
Sue Marchant: “It’s hard work and it needs to be more open.” Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer
Andrew Howe, 67, a retired director, said Truss’s premiership had been a “litany of disasters”. He said: “It’s been disastrous for the country, disastrous for public services and disastrous if you’re trying to buy a house.” He said he could not see his tenure as prime minister lasting much longer.
Truss won the seat in May 2010 with a majority of 13,140. She had no Norfolk roots and was very ambitious even by political standards. The South West Norfolk Conservatives website refers to her as the self-styled “disrupter in chief”. Those who do not support it may also agree with this description.
There was a somber mood at Downham Market Conservative club on Saturday morning as members gathered for coffee, snacks and cold drinks and pondered the Prime Minister’s plight.
Pat Seaman, 79, a retired carpet fitter sitting with a drink at a table, criticized the now scrapped policy of abandoning the 45% tax rate for high earners.
Pat Seaman at Downham Market Tory Club: ‘Not up to scratch’. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer
He said: “He was totally wrong to give money to the most important people. He didn’t do enough for the people who can’t afford to put food on their plates.
“It’s not up to the job. I feel really sad that the party is falling apart. They need to regroup.”
A group of Tory club members meeting for coffee said the party should come together to support her instead of plotting to oust her. Tony Moss, 70, a retired farm manager, said: “I don’t think I should resign. I don’t see the point, but they have to bring in people who know what they are doing.”
Marion Batt, 63, said: “It’s easy to forget that we’ve had Covid and the problems in Ukraine, but that’s the crux of where this all started. We need it all to calm down.”
One club member, who asked not to be named, said: “I’ve met her and written to her on local issues. She’s a very good MP but she’s very good for the public and her trust has been eroded.” .
Truss is rarely seen in town or at the Tory club. One resident joked that he had seen it once before an election and “thought it was a mirage”.
Richard Porritt, editor of the Eastern Daily Press, Norfolk’s regional morning paper, said Truss was a decent local MP but “quite aloof” because of her ministerial roles. He said some in the constituency would have preferred a local candidate, adding: “If there is another Tory leader before we get to the next election, he will be a tragic figure because he absolutely believed in this mini-budget and that it was the correct
“I have no doubt that his tenure will be very short. I wasn’t willing to listen to anyone else and I didn’t think I needed to. It was a huge gamble and he lost. Most of the conservatives I talk to in the east England think it’s a complete disaster and there’s no going back.”
Shenna Eagle with her nine-year-old daughter Sienna. “I feel a little sorry for her.” Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer
The cost of the economic crisis which was exacerbated by the Truss mini-budget is a pressing concern for families in Downham Market. Shenna Eagle, 43, a part-time manager who was enjoying a hot dog near the town square with her nine-year-old daughter Sienna, said: “It’s very difficult. All the prices are going up and I’m struggling with energy bills”.
He said he did not want to see Truss resign. “I feel sorry for her and I feel like she needs to be given more time,” he said. “It’s hard work.”