Five of the most drastic U-turns in British politics

Liz Truss has sacked her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and announced a reversal of their promise to freeze corporation tax.

Tory MPs had warned “that the markets had left them with no choice in the matter”, with the economic turmoil forcing the PM to rethink her plans, said The Times.

Truss confirmed that corporation tax would rise from 19% to 25% this afternoon, after Kwarteng’s mini budget three weeks ago “quickly turned into an economic and political disaster”, said the Financial Times.

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“We need to act now to reassure the markets of our fiscal discipline,” Truss said in a televised Downing Street press conference. “It is clear that parts of our ‘mini’ budget went further and faster than the markets were expecting. So the way we are delivering our mission right now has to change.”

Truss is not the first politician to backtrack on policies and promises. Here are some of the most damning U-turns in modern British politics.

Coup d'eTed

Top spot in the list has to go to Ted Heath, who, according to The Guardian’s Tim Bale, was the “undisputed king of the U-turn”. He didn’t just go back on a solo scheme; he went back on an entire manifesto.

In 1970, the Tories’ general election promises focused on cutting back public expenditure. Once in power, however, as unemployment rose to more than one million for the first time since 1947 and the country was hit by strike after strike, Heath had to back down, pouring money into the NHS, education and welfare.

Ultimately, this cost him the political premiership – and the leadership of the party, paving the way for Margaret Thatcher to take over.

Pastygate

Who would have thought the humble pasty could challenge a prominent politician?

Former chancellor George Osborne is infamous for his U-turn on the pastry’s tax credentials after his decision in 2012 to impose VAT on hot baked goods prompted a public outcry.

Bakery chain Greggs threatened job cuts, the Cornish community protested and commentators decried it as an austerity step too far.

The consequence was a humiliating reversal of Osborne’s policy, an episode that will forever be known as “Pastygate”.

Tuition fees

Once in office in the coalition, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg reversed his manifesto pledge as leader of “student party” the Liberal Democrats and voted in favour of increasing tuition fees to £9,000 per academic year.

Despite later apologising for the U-turn, which caused furore at the time, Clegg’s ratings never recovered and the issue was seen by many as the reason the Lib Dems suffered such heavy losses in the 2015 general election.

Cannabis laws

The legal classification of cannabis has led to many scratched heads over the years.

In 2004, David Blunkett, home secretary in Tony Blair’s government, downgraded the drug from class B to class C, removing the threat of arrest for possession.

However, Blair’s successor as prime minister, Gordon Brown, reclassified it as a class B drug in 2009.

Even though Blunkett’s action was sanctioned by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the U-turn was seen as a “damning admission that Labour’s soft policy… was a mistake”, said the Evening Standard.

Scrapping the 10p tax rate

As chancellor in 2007, Brown announced he was getting rid of the 10p starting rate of income tax, which had existed since 1999.

The change meant all income above the personal allowance would be subject to the “basic rate” of income tax at 20 per cent.

The move led to a rebellion in the Labour ranks and widespread criticism from the public.

As a result, Alistair Darling was forced to borrow almost £3bn to compensate those affected when he took over at the Exchequer.