London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2025

Kwasi Kwarteng: I'm not going anywhere, says chancellor

Kwasi Kwarteng: I'm not going anywhere, says chancellor

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has insisted he is "not going anywhere", despite the market turbulence he admitted was caused in part by his policies.

Asked if he and PM Liz Truss would still be in their jobs this time next month, he said: "Absolutely, 100%."

Mr Kwarteng also sidestepped questions about whether he would U-turn on parts of his mini-budget, saying: "Our position hasn't changed."

He is facing growing calls from Tory MPs to rethink his tax-cutting package.

Discussions are under way between the prime minister and backbenchers about what her party can accept.

The mood among Tory MPs is angry and fatalistic. "It's checkmate, we're screwed," one told the BBC.

"There is no question in my mind, they'll have to junk loads of this stuff and U-turn," another said.

Some think the government's tax-cutting plans should be reversed, while others think the help with energy bills should be more targeted.

Other scenarios being discussed by Tory MPs include the chancellor resigning or the prime minister being ousted.

However, there is little agreement on what should happen next or who should replace Ms Truss if she is removed.

The government has already U-turned on its plan to scrap the top rate of income tax, but this only made up £2bn of the tax cuts announced by the chancellor last month.

He is under pressure to spell out how the remaining £43bn will be paid for, and how he will get the UK's national debt falling.

Mr Kwarteng is due to deliver a statement on 31 October, along with independent economic forecasts.

Pressed on whether there could be further U-turns on his mini-budget, Mr Kwarteng, who is in Washington for an IMF meeting, said there would be more detail on 31 October.

Asked about the possibility corporation tax could rise, Mr Kwarteng said he was "totally focused" on delivering his mini-budget.

Ms Truss has pledged to scrap a planned rise to the tax, which was set to increase from 19% to 25% in 2023.

On Wednesday, she said it would be "wrong" to raise corporation tax "when we are trying to attract investment into our country at a time of global economic slowdown".

In an interview with Sky News, former Home Secretary Priti Patel said the market would now "dictate" the prime minister's decision on corporation tax "primarily because we want to see stability".

The pound rose against the dollar as rumours emerged about a possible government U-turn.

However, it later fell back after stronger-than-expected inflation data from the US drove up the value of the dollar.

In an interview in the Daily Telegraph, when asked about the market response to the speculation of a U-turn on corporation tax, Mr Kwarteng said: "Let's see."

However, he added that he still thought ensuring "competitive" tax rates for businesses was a "great idea".

The chancellor's mini-budget on 23 September has caused turmoil in the financial markets and prompted the Bank of England to intervene to protect pension funds.

Mr Kwarteng acknowledged there was "some turbulence" after his mini-budget but said there was "a very dicey situation globally", with inflation, potential interest rate rises and energy price spikes affecting everybody.


Watch: I am not going anywhere - Kwasi Kwarteng


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
×