Truss plans are ‘bitter-tasting medicine’ that will do UK good, says Cleverly

theguardian.com:

Liz Truss’s economic plans are like “bitter-tasting medicine” that people may not necessarily like but will be good for them in the end, James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, has said.

Before a party conference speech from the prime minister that pitches “disruption” as the price of success, Cleverly suggested that the UK was sick and needed an economic cure.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “A number of people aren’t used to hearing about the stimulating effects of tax cuts and the growth effects of deregulating.

“Quite understandably they are reacting. People don’t necessarily like bitter-tasting medicine but it will make us all collectively, economically feel better.”

He said he was confident that the Conservatives trailing Labour in the polls by more than 30 points was a “blip”.

In a round of broadcast interviews, Cleverly also dismissed talk by a cabinet colleague of a “coup” against Truss and said the party’s Birmingham conference had been “fantastic”, despite bitter infighting among MPs and major cabinet split on her fiscal plans.

Truss will give her key speech on Wednesday morning, setting out her stall that Britain needs to change and “must do better”.

“In Britain we need to do things differently,” she will say. “Whenever there is change, there is disruption. Not everyone will be in favour. But everyone will benefit from the result – a growing economy and a better future. That is what we have a clear plan to deliver.”

However, Conservatives were openly talking about replacing her if her poll standing does not improve.

On Tuesday, the former cabinet minister Grant Shapps suggested Truss had about 10 days to turn things around and signalled MPs may try to remove her if polls continued to show Labour on course for a