However, the Palace of Westminster has rarely been so tranquil. As mourners have filed into Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen, a building that would normally be a hotbed of political contests, conspiracies and intrigue has instead become a place of pilgrimage, respect and quiet reflection. While there has been a natural and well-observed suspension of political hostilities, however, MPs across the political divide are under no illusions about the turmoil that will erupt once the Queen’s state funeral is over and the period of mourning ends. The entrenched tensions will play out in an unusual week that will see Truss try to make up for lost time and define her first days as prime minister. After meeting world leaders this weekend, but not US President Joe Biden, Truss will next take the world stage at the UN general assembly in New York, ahead of a flurry of headline economic and political announcements set to to start her time in No 10. Meanwhile, opposition parties are set to launch a series of lines of attack on bankers’ bonuses, the NHS and tax cuts. Away from the state ceremony, political activity was intense. Downing Street sources said that the new prime minister, throughout the period of mourning, carried out a heavy workload. “When she wasn’t exercising her constitutional role, she was with aides and officials working on policy. He has a real energy to get on with things,” said a source. At the same time, Tory MPs were dismayed by the early direction Truss had taken. He has renewed the No. 10 team and aims at public administration. Officials are working furiously on a massive economic announcement that is a budget in all but name. All the while, senior opposition MPs felt deeply frustrated that they could not say anything about Truss’ plans. “During this period, there have been all sorts of updates on what the government says it’s going to do which have somehow come out of nowhere – and we’ve just been sitting here very politely,” said a shadow cabinet minister. There is already disbelief among some Tory MPs that Truss will go ahead with an economic plan they believe clears the ground for Labor to move – branding the Tories as fiscally incontinent and favoring the wealthiest over the average household. Key concerns are £30bn of tax cuts which will disproportionately benefit the wealthy, the scrapping of green levies which will damage the Tories’ green credentials and the end of the cap on bankers’ bonuses. Tory MPs are already charting the campaigns they will face from rivals in the autumn. “Abolishing green fuel levies and opening up fracking – the whole environmental movement will start campaigning against the Conservatives, even though we were quite green,” said one MP, adding: “The political attack lines for Labor are incredibly clear. Bigger bonuses for bankers. The National Insurance cut will primarily help people on higher incomes. “Freezing energy bills primarily helps people on higher incomes because their energy bills are higher. None of this is targeted. Frankly, it creates a wide open target for Labor politically.” Another warns that a spending spree on tax cuts – which Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng will frame as part of a commitment to growing the economy – will hit the Conservatives’ bottom line. “Fiscal prudence, or sound money, is one of the defining characteristics of conservatism,” they said. “We are a party with healthy money or nothing.” While some privately wonder if Kwarteng is secretly working for the Labor party, one former minister dismisses the idea. “I completely disagree,” they said. “There’s nothing secret about it.” A source close to the Treasury described the plans as “very naive”. Meanwhile, Tras is unlikely to have much of a honeymoon. Several MPs pointed out that in the first round of the leadership vote among MPs, he managed to claim just 50 votes. There are 357 Tory MPs. Some Rishi Sunak supporters are already dreaming that their leadership candidate will soon do it again. The scrapping of the bankers’ bonus cap will be targeted by unions and political opponents, it was announced at a time when workers’ groups are taking real-terms pay cuts. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Both Labor and the Lib Dems have plenty of material ready to go into motion. Ending the cap has been framed as a way to ensure the UK remains a hub for top talent in the financial industry, but this is already being questioned. “It is highly unlikely that removing the cap could attract enough new bankers to Britain to make any meaningful difference to our economy,” said Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Center thinktank. “We already have more high earners in the sector than the rest of Europe combined, but whatever effect there is is not enough to prevent the poorest people in the UK from being much poorer than the poorest in Germany or France.” Away from economic plans, Labor is already planning a major campaign on the NHS this autumn as the health service comes under pressure. Thérèse Coffey, the new health minister and deputy prime minister, is due to unveil her plans for the service this week. There have been suggestions that it will replace or update the four-hour A&E waiting target. Insiders said he would not ax the target, but there are concerns within the agency. Hospital leaders are now scrambling for extra help. “The review of clinical standards is long overdue and so health leaders will welcome reports that our new Secretary of State intends to implement it, but introducing new standards alone will not address the deep-rooted challenges facing the NHS,” said Matthew. Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents the health care system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Labour’s autumn campaign will focus on “degrading standards” through political underfunding and mismanagement. Meanwhile, the sacking of the Treasury’s most senior civil servant, Tom Scholar, continues to cause alarm in Whitehall and creates immediate tension with the new administration. Many Downing Street officials have also been moved and replaced by political operatives, with Truss ally Coffey taking one of the offices closest to the new prime minister. Officials speak of a “chilling effect” caused by the dismissal of the Scholar. Some fear the Truss will then target the Bank of England and other institutions that stand in its way – another instinct that is causing alarm in its own benches. Aides say Truss is ready to confront critics who say now is not the time to cut taxes with the economy in a dangerous state. It all means that while Westminster quickly shifted gears when news of the Queen’s death broke, the return to the political fray will be just as swift.
