Kay Burley has to censor Tory MP's message accusing Truss of "playing A-level economics"

A remarkable moment occurred on Sky News on Monday morning where an unnamed Tory MP reportedly tore into prime minister Liz Truss in a message that was sent to presenter Kay Burley.

On Monday the financial markets saw the pound plummet to unprecedented levels in response to chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget announcement on Friday which included historic tax cuts.

As a result, the pound is now at its lowest level against the US dollar since 1971 and it would appear that Tory backbenchers are already getting restless with Truss's economic plans, less than a month into the PM's premiership.

In an astonishing moment while she was live on air Burley received a message from a current Tory MP who she did not name but did say that they were a former cabinet minister. The apparently strongly worded message caused Burley to 'tip-toe' around some of the language that was used.

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Reading the message out she said: "'Liz is'...I can't use the word...'she is'...same word again...at basic economics. She is taking on markets and the Bank of England. Her, Kwasi, Phil and Simon are playing A-level economics with people's lives."

In response, Sky's economics editor Ed Conway said: "I imagine there are a lot of strong feelings in the Conservative party, given what they have been through at the moment and given what they are seeing right now and given that there are people in the Conservative party who thought that they didn't have a particularly good chance at winning the next election. They thought that Liz Truss was going to roll the dice and they thought that this was going to be a bit of gamble."

Burley went back to the message adding: "They are already putting letters in as they think she will crash the economy. Something has to give."

Also speaking earlier today, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has accused Kwasi Kwarteng of having “fanned the flames” of the falling pound by hinting at further “unfunded” tax cuts.

The Labour MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is incredibly concerning.

“I think many people had hoped over the weekend things would calm down but I do think the Chancellor sort of fanned the flames on Sunday in suggesting there may be more stimulus, more unfunded tax cuts, which has resulted overnight in the pound falling to an all-time low against the dollar.”

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