• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
LeadershipUnited Kingdom
Europe

There was one person who predicted exactly what was going to happen to the U.K. under Liz Truss’s ‘fairy tale’ economics—and he was ridiculed for it

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 29, 2022, 8:37 AM ET
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss pictured in August 2022. Sunak warned Truss's tax cuts would damage the U.K. economy.
Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss pictured in August 2022. Sunak warned Truss's tax cuts would damage the U.K. economy. Susannah Ireland / AFP) (Photo by SUSANNAH IRELAND/AFP via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The U.K.’s economic crisis shows no signs of easing, with Prime Minister Liz Truss doubling down on her near $50 billion tax cuts package that has sent markets into disarray.

Just weeks into her tenure as Prime Minister, Truss’s tax-cutting spree has pushed the U.K. into an unprecedented economic crisis, forcing interventions from the Bank of England and an unprecedented rebuke from the IMF.

The pound has crumbled to all-time lows, spooked investors have sold off $500 billion in British assets and the U.K. housing market has been driven to the edge of a precipice.

While Truss’ fiscal overhaul has been widely condemned and earned the U.K. comparisons to emerging countries from the likes of Ray Dalio, the policies were always at the heart of her leadership campaign and helped her win enough votes from around 180,000 Conservative party members to secure the top job in Parliament.

Sunak saw it coming

Her main rival for the post, Rishi Sunak, has earned some vindication over the past week, having made it clear he was ardently against cutting taxes as the two competed to take over from Boris Johnson, who resigned mid-term.

As the leadership campaign went on, Sunak made some ominous forecasts about the tax-cutting policies favored by Truss, warning that by authorizing them she would increase borrowing to “historic and dangerous levels” and add “fuel to the fire” of rising costs.

Both candidates served in Johnson’s cabinet, but their clashing views on tax cuts—and Sunak’s dire warnings about what would happen if such policies were enacted—saw him dismissed, and in some cases ridiculed, in the press.

Labeled a ‘doomster’ and ‘desperate’

Sunak, who denounced Truss’s plans as “fairy tale” economics for months before she became prime minister, was dismissed as a pessimist for voicing these views.

Nadhim Zahawi, who replaced Sunak as finance minister, labeled Sunak a “doomster” at the end of July as he endorsed Truss as the next prime minister, a term that followed Sunak throughout his leadership campaign.

“Who is Sunak kidding with his warnings about sterling?” the Spectator questioned in an August article, labeling him “desperate” for warning that sterling, gilt markets, and the FTSE would go into free fall if Truss were to significantly cut taxes.

Despite the criticism, Sunak doubled down on his warnings about the fate of the British economy if tax cuts were delivered while the cost-of-living crisis raged on.

Cutting taxes for the very wealthy would be a mistake, Sunak warned at the beginning of August, insisting that Truss’s “dangerous” plans risked “making everything worse.”

“If we don’t do that, I can tell you not only will millions of people suffer, we will get absolutely hammered when it comes to an election,” he predicted. “The British people will not forgive us for not doing that.”

Warnings of irresponsible borrowing

The latest poll on U.K. voting intentions from YouGov showed this week that Truss’s Conservative party took “a severe hit” following the unveiling of the government’s tax-cutting plans. The opposition Labour party, YouGov said, now had the highest lead ever recorded, winning 45% of the vote versus the Conservatives’ 28%.

Following the 'mini-Budget', Labour's voting intention lead increases to the highest YouGov has ever recorded, at 17pts (fieldwork 23-25 Sep)

Con: 28% (-4 from 21-22 Sep)
Lab: 45% (+5)
Lib Dem: 9% (=)
Green: 7% (-1)
Reform UK: 3% (=)
SNP: 4% (-1) https://t.co/8EYdo2Uqjs pic.twitter.com/2DtBdy6GT8

— YouGov (@YouGov) September 27, 2022

Writing in British newspaper the Times weeks later, Sunak set out an argument that Truss’s proposed fiscal policies would do nothing to alleviate the U.K.’s cost-of-living crisis.

“Cost of living support or lower taxes?” he asked. “It can’t be both.”

In a later interview with the Financial Times, he said Truss was making unfunded spending commitments by pledging to immediately cut taxes, saying he “struggled to see” how her promises to both reduce taxes and help those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis would add up.

“The most pressing economic priority for the new prime minister and the new government is to grip inflation,” Sunak said during a leadership debate over the summer, where he and Truss clashed on the best method to help the economy recover.

“I don’t think the responsible thing to do right now is launch into some unfunded spree of borrowing and more debt. That will just make inflation worse; it will make the problem longer.”

Speaking directly to Truss, he added: “Liz, we have to be honest. Borrowing your way out of inflation isn’t a plan, it’s a fairy tale.”

Sunak’s representatives did not respond to Fortune’s request for an interview.

While Sunak has made no public statement on the impact of Truss’s policies, his supporters have noted in recent days that the government was “warned exactly what the consequences [of its tax cuts] would be.”

Those of us who backed Rishi Sunak lost the contest but this poll suggests that the victor is losing our voters with policies we warned against. For the good of our country, and the livelihoods of everyone in our country, I still hope to be proven wrong https://t.co/8nOcKlKEIB

— Huw Merriman MP (@HuwMerriman) September 26, 2022
Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Woman taking photo in scenic landscape
Successlifestyle
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
By Emma BurleighJuly 2, 2026
1 hour ago
Jason Lemkin
Successwork-life balance
This investor won’t back startups unless staff are in the office 6 days a week: ‘Not because I don’t have empathy, because they’re going to fail’
By Preston ForeJuly 2, 2026
1 hour ago
The true cost of Donald Trump’s $2.2 billion year
NewslettersCEO Daily
The true cost of Donald Trump’s $2.2 billion year
By Diane BradyJuly 2, 2026
6 hours ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
SuccessCareers
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
9 hours ago
Trump’s 927-page disclosure is just a normal Tuesday for direct indexing and crypto wealth managers
InvestingDonald Trump
Trump’s 927-page disclosure is just a normal Tuesday for direct indexing and crypto wealth managers
By Catherina GioinoJuly 1, 2026
18 hours ago
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
NewslettersCIO Intelligence
How foodservice giant Sodexo is embracing AI and robotics to reshape the kitchen
By John KellJuly 1, 2026
23 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
7 days ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
Politics
Trump got a $78K pension from the Screen Actors Guild in 2025 because he appeared in Home Alone 2 in 1992
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 1, 2026
23 hours ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
5 days ago
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
Success
CEO of $248 billion cybersecurity company says workers are about to face a ‘Darwinian moment’ thanks to AI: Evolve or get cut
By Emma BurleighJuly 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.