British Prime Minister Liz Truss insisted she had acted"decisively" to bring about"economic stability" -- but the pound resumed its slide on currency markets, falling under $1.12. FILE PHOTO
Truss did little to reassure investors and the UK electorate at a brief news conference -- her first since succeeding Boris Johnson on September 6. Financial upheaval sparked by the new government's September 23 plan to slash taxes -- financed via billions in more borrowing -- had subsided somewhat since the Bank of England intervened in bond markets.
A new YouGov poll for The Times newspaper said 43 percent of Conservative voters want a new prime minister in Downing Street. "Liz Truss' reckless approach has crashed the economy, causing mortgages to skyrocket and has undermined Britain's standing on the world stage," he said. Also speaking in Washington, European Union economy commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said the upheaval in Britain showed "how prudent we should be also with our fiscal and monetary mix".