MP Phillips predicts Chancellor's dismissal on Have I Got News For You

She must be psychic! Or just acutely aware of just how much trouble the government are in… as Labour MP Jess Phillips predicted the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng.

The Shadow Minister made her divination on Have I Got News For You, which was recorded last night – 18 hours before Liz Truss actually fired her Chancellor.

On being asked to test her mic before the show proper started, Phillips said to the audience: ‘Hello everybody. I’m looking forward to this being completely out of date and the Chancellor having resigned by the time this airs!" 

‘Typical Labour… such low expectations!’ replied a laughing Ian Hislop. ‘The prime minister will resign…’

During the show, which will air on BBC One at 9pm tonight, the panel got stuck in to the week’s events in No 10. 

'It’s not going very well,’ Hislop said. ‘She’s had another very, very bad week, and the economy has tanked. A lot of people - I mean, obviously not me - have said it's because her and her Chancellor are useless. 

‘In fact, it's the fault of a number of other people. It's the OBR, the IRA…’ 

‘ELO,’ fellow panellist Richard Osman chipped in. ‘I'm gonna have to stick up for her. She said she would get things done quickly. If she can tank the economy in seven days, think what she can do in two years. There’s so many cliffhangers, it’s moving so quickly.’

‘You could turn it into a murder mystery, Richard?’ said host Adil Ray. 

‘Oh no, there’s no money in it,’ Osman replied. 

"‘No money in it" is Liz Truss’s watchword,’ Hislop joked. ‘Nearly everything announced in the mini budget isn't going to happen. So all the pain and all the turbulence will be for nothing…’

Phillips also joked that ‘on current polling, there would be three Tories left’ should there be a general election. 

‘Yeah… Ian. Duncan. Smith,’   Paul Merton said. 

Published: 14 Oct 2022