Kwarteng says he is ‘not going anywhere’ despite sources claiming Truss on verge of major U-turn on mini-budget – live | Politics

Ministers have been accused of “escalating harm to patients” by “failing to properly invest in or resource” the NHS, the Guardian’s Andrew Gregory reports.

“Our NHS is falling apart before our eyes”, the chair of the BMA, Prof Philip Banfield, said.

His remarks come as the latest figures show the number of people waiting for hospital treatment has hit a record high of seven million in England.

The international trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, has urged fellow Tory MPs to unite behind Liz Truss and the government’s growth plans.

She said she agreed with the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, that “to even talk about changing the leader at this time would be disastrous”.

Speaking during a visit to a distillery in East Lothian, Badenoch dismissed talk of a general election. She said:

I’m very focused on the prime minister’s growth agenda, selling exports and making sure that we continue to grow and create jobs for people. That is absolutely not the sort of thing that is on my mind at all.

John Stevens from the Daily Mirror quotes Treasury sources as saying that Kwasi Kwarteng has not left Washington DC.

The chancellor is not attending an IMF meeting of G20 finance ministers because he is in a bilateral meeting with another finance minister, he said.

Downing Street has refused to comment on reports that discussions are ongoing at No 10 on U-turns in the government’s mini-budget.

Asked whether an imminent change is possible, a No 10 spokesperson said

Again, I just have to repeat that our position hasn’t changed and the Chancellor was very clear that he and the PM are working to deliver the growth plan.

Asked if talks are being held on possible U-turns, the official said:

Again, work is ongoing between the Chancellor and the prime minister, as you’d expect, ahead of the medium-term fiscal plan. The focus of both the Chancellor and the PM are on delivering the growth plan and the position has not changed.

On whether there had been discussion about dropping the corporation tax cut, they said:

I wouldn’t comment on meetings the prime minister has.

A former Conservative chief whip, Julian Smith, has cryptically tweeted the dictionary definition of the word “confidence”.

The chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, reportedly did not attend a meeting of G20 finance ministers at the IMF in Washington.

Sky News’ Mark Stone says the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, was at the meeting but was told Kwarteng’s deputy would stand in for him.

Asked if he knew why the chancellor was not present at the meeting, Bailey said: “That’s a question for the chancellor.”

The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, was speaking to reporters in Washington earlier today where she was asked about reports of a UK government U-turn over its mini-budget.

Speaking before Kwasi Kwarteng’s interview, Georgieva said it is sometimes right for a “recalibration” of policies.

She said:

I do believe it is correct to be led by evidence, so if the evidence is that there has to be a recalibration, it is right for governments to do so.

She added:

Don’t prolong the pain – make sure actions are coherent and consistent.

While the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, has insisted “our position has not changed” in his earlier interview, the Guardian’s Jessica Elgot points out that this isn’t the same as saying “our position will not change”.

A former cabinet minister has told the News Agents podcast’s Jon Sopel that Liz Truss “has unleashed hell on this country”.

Sopel says the language being used by senior Tories about the PM is like nothing he has seen before.