Was the mini-budget a cunning Tory plan? | Letter

If they lose the next election this will leave the incoming Labour government with a wrecked economy to repair and only five years to do it, writes Ray Perham

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng's budget plan may be more cunning than it first appears (Kwarteng accused of reckless mini-budget for the rich as pound plummets, 23 September). There is little doubt that in all likelihood the Boris Johnson government was heading for defeat at the next general election. If by some miracle this budget delivers on most of what it promises, then Truss and Kwarteng can cast themselves as the country's economic saviours and put the Conservatives in with a chance of prevailing at the election. If, as is much more likely, the budget ends in long-term catastrophe, then they will still lose the election. But this will leave the incoming Labour government with a wrecked economy to repair and only five years to do it.

This will be an impossible task and could result in a fickle electorate voting against them in the following general election, thus returning the Conservatives to government after a short break. In the meantime, Truss and Kwarteng will be in a position to reap a variety of rewards from their even richer friends who have benefited from the tax changes that this government has made.
Ray Perham
Ilford, London