Liz Truss labelled an 'imbecile' by sacked veterans minister's wife
Prime Minister Liz Truss has been branded an "imbecile" by the wife of sacked minister Johnny Mercer.
Felicity Cornelius-Mercer said the cabinet system “stinks” and “treats people appallingly” after her husband was removed as veterans affairs minister.
Mr Mercer, the Plymouth Moor View MP, had earlier said he was “disappointed” but accepted the prime minister is “entitled to reward her supporters”.
In a lengthy resignation letter he also suggested he could quit his career in politics.
“I have to accept that I will never possess the qualities required for enduring success in politics as it stands, and to be fair to my wonderful family, I must consider my future," he said.
Hours later, his wife Ms Cornelius-Mercer posted a tweet along with an image which appears to liken Ms Truss to a character from The Muppets.
Ms Cornelius-Mercer tweeted: “He asked her ‘why would you do this, who is going to be better at this role than me, which of your mates gets the job, you promised a meritocracy?’
“PM – I can’t answer that Johnny.
“This system stinks & treats people appallingly.
“Best person I know sacked by an imbecile @trussliz.”
Mr Mercer has been a Tory MP since 2015 and was appointed into his now previous role by Boris Johnson.
On Tuesday, he posted his resignation letter on Twitter accompanied by the words: “I will be spending time with my family and doing no media requests.”
His exit comes on the same day that Ms Truss has announced her new look cabinet, retaining just a handful of her predecessors backroom team.
Therese Coffey, Kwasi Kwarteng, Suella Braverman and James Cleverly are among the MPs who have been rewarded for their staunch loyalty to the newly sworn in prime minister.
Meanwhile, a number of those who supported Ms Truss' leadership rival, Rishi Sunak, have been culled from the front bench, including Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps.
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