The latest from 10 Downing Street

 The latest from 10 Downing Street.

If you didn't know already we are now at the stage of musical chairs at the House of Comedy, aka The House of Commons. All reality has been officially suspended and nobody can quite believe any of the latest developments at Westminster Towers. It could rightly be compared to a Whitehall farce and quite a number of doors have been slammed and trousers have fallen to ankles. It could get even worse than it already is but how much further down the slippery slope can we possibly get?

Last night the Tory government were in a chronic state of disarray. We thought we'd seen everything but even Boris Johnson could never have envisaged this fiasco. These are troubled, potentially catastrophic times for the Conservative party and the new Prime Minister Liz Truss quite literally looks like a startled rabbit in the headlights. Some of us must wonder what on earth is going on but the truth is we're all in a state of grim darkness.

Yesterday Kwasi Kwateng became the former Chancellor of the Exchequer when he got the bullet from a very bemused Prime Minister who still conveys the impression of a novice wet behind the ears, somebody who looks as if they need to be introduced to a completely new way of life. There had to be an instant adjustment to what must feel like a terribly hostile environment. But Truss, you suspect, will have to hit the ground running because if she doesn't do so now she may have to look for alternative employment.

Liz Truss has now held the office of British Prime Minister for just over a month or so and, to quote  footballing parlance, she's having a stinker. We're barely into the first half and it's all in the balance. So far she may have scored some of the most embarrassing own goals ever seen and everything has gone completely wrong. Do we think Boris Johnson has had the most incredible last laugh and would probably tell us that he knew that something like this would happen?

The oft quoted buzz phrase is that Truss has tanked the economy, blasted it to smithereens and now found herself covered in rubble, desperately scrambling around for something to cling to, a remnant of hope perhaps but even that appears to have gone. She's toyed with the entire system, back tracking on everything from corporation tax, windfall tax and every other conceivable tax you can think of. 

In simple terms the wealthy landowners and posh plutocrats will be rubbing their hands with undisguised glee, swimming in oceans of prosperity and then looking on with that familiar air of snobbery and condescension. They are now turning their nose up at the pathetic peasantry who remain beneath them every time they add a new gravel driveway and more marble columns outside their palatial property in suburbia.

More importantly you are now informed that prospective homeowners searching around for a decent mortgage, can now forget their commendable ambitions. It's not going to happen. The young professionals and conscientious couples who may be looking to settle down have now had to resign themselves to a modest maisonette or bungalow just off the main high street. Of course, this shouldn't be regarded as the end of the world but to put it bluntly that's all they're going to get whether they like it or not.

So here we are. It's the weekend after the most horrendous month or so of disgust, outright condemnation, incessant criticism and toxic arguments behind the scenes. Whatever your political persuasion this is not a good time to be either on the Tory backbenches, cabinet ministers seats or those irate ministers who just want to get rid of Liz Truss. Poor Truss is now being attacked from all directions, her image questioned, reputation blown sky high and very few on her side.

The problem is, or so it would seem that any successor to Boris Johnston as Prime Minister was always likely to experience a withering anti-climax. For the last couple of weeks Liz Truss has been touring the length and breadth of Britain trying desperately to whip up some kind of enthusiasm and support. But those props have been whipped away from her since the very act of changing your mind when it comes to important policy decisions is tantamount to Russian roulette.

At first it looked as though she had got it absolutely right but then it was discovered that she'd pressed all the wrong buttons. Judgment and suitability for the job of Prime Minister became the overriding consideration and foremost priority. Truss though kept hesitating, fluffing her lines, sounding confident but privately confused, now a severe liability and utterly dispensable. The responsibility, overwhelming at the best of times, of leading the country is slipping from her grasp.

For the rest of the weekend you suspect, a considerable amount of navel gazing, soul- searching and stunned bewilderment will leave her in a room alone with her thoughts with her supportive family for company. But then she's left with a frightening sense of feeling disowned by her own party. It is rather like sitting in a corner of a living room on your own and just being shunned by the guests at any party.

Last night the BBC, the official voice of the Establishment, showed us striking images of former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Of course, it belongs to another far distant decade and we are now talking about the 1950s here. Macmillan is seen mischievously shuffling through government papers and taking enormous pleasure in sacking and then appointing new faces within his Cabinet. But something must have resonated with Liz Truss because quite suddenly she thought she'd overheard something that Macmillan had once said and then dug out a phrase that he'd made almost 70 years ago.

Truss stated that the country had never had it so good but then realised that were no trolley buses on the road and most of Britain wasn't experiencing widespread rationing. And yet she still looks rather less than convincing at Press conferences, in dire need of an image consultant and lessons in presentation. What may work in her favour though is that she might be given the luxury of more time. Besides, there can be no logical replacement for her even if she is unceremoniously kicked out of Downing Street.

The new Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is currently getting his feet under the table at 10 Downing Street and life goes on regardless. Hunt is a highly experienced businessman who must have a natural aptitude for maths. Hunt's recent record both in and out of Government has been the subject of much heated debate but at the moment he looks to be the only Cabinet minister who may be lucky enough to hold onto his job. But we send kind regards to the third female Prime Minister Liz Truss, a woman who must be longing for Christmas because that would represent a holiday and break away from political hellishness. Oh, to be a leading politician. The aggravation and hassle can only be imagined. All the best Prime Minister.