Andrew Marr: What happens at Westminster happens in your house too

13 October 2022, 18:18

What happens at Westminster happens in your house too, Andrew Marr has said.

Opening LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr, the presenter reflected on his interview with historian Max Hastings on Wednesday, in which he spoke of his grief that the UK is being made to seem "absurd" in the eyes of the rest of the world.

"My job as a reporter, as I see it, is pretty simple; it's to tell you what I think is going on - away from the cameras and microphones, as well as in front of them," Andrew said.

He went on to say: "I love this country too. I love its weather and its humour and its buildings and its tolerance and variety, and its beer. And even, yes, its food.

"I’ve written books and made films about its history.

"Among my family who fought in the last war, we lost a Spitfire pilot over Norway and a very young naval lieutenant at Dunkirk.

"I'm a patriotic member of a patriotic family and there is nothing about our current economic and political crisis that doesn't make me squirm with embarrassment and grief.

"We are a better country than we seem at the moment.

"And if you ever thought that politics was somehow out there, or up there and not your concern, then I'm afraid you'll now notice that mistake every time you go abroad and feel poorer and every time you borrow money here at home or face bills here at home.

"What happens at Westminster happens in your house too."

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Andrew Marr responds to King Charles' 'oh dear oh dear' greeting.

"So what did happen at Westminster today? They say that before a volcano erupts not only does the ground tremble but you notice a funny smell in the air, a whiff of sulphur.

"Well there's been a funny smell this Thursday in the Commons.

"Rumours were rippling out of Downing Street about a huge U-turn on taxes about to break, with corporation tax going up, not down, to calm the markets.

"In the early afternoon, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said in Washington, where he's at an international conference, that he remained completely focused on his mini-budget and wouldn't be resigning - without quite denying there might be a U-turn.

"He would tell us more at the end of the month. I don't think this will hold.

"Almost immediately after Kwarteng’s nothing-to-see-here remarks, the former Tory Chancellor George Osborne tweeted that because of the pain being caused to the real economy 'it's not clear why it's in anyone's interest to wait 18 more days before the inevitable U-turn on the mini budget.'

"And straight away, his old opponent, the former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls replied, 'I agree with George.'

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"Meanwhile in almost every corner of Parliament one-time Tory ministers and experienced Tory MPs were discussing how to get rid of Liz Truss.

"At the moment, the favourite plan is to assemble a fresh Cabinet from different wings of the party, and simply confront her with the fact that it’s all over, before moving in to form a new emergency government - even if Truss is still left as the theoretical leader of the Conservative Party.

"Outrageous? Brilliant? Impossible? Necessary? I… merely report.

"But perhaps this week the King speaks for all of us when he greets his new Prime Minister with the words 'Dear, oh dear.'

"The volcano hasn't blown yet. But the smell of sulphur is almost choking."