The government’s troubles over the tax cuts to the most wealthy are having a local impact of their own as prime minister Liz Truss and chancellor Kwasi Kwateng appear to be throwing Conservative MP Chris Philp under the bus after their u-turn on tax this morning.

Philp seems to be feeling a trickle down effect of his own as Truss and Kwateng attempt to shift the blame for the mini budget chaos. down the political food chain to the hapless Philp.

Philp has been doing the media rounds since the announcement when his boss Kwateng and the prime minister have been noticeable by their absence. He has been publicly backing and justifying the mini budget in general and the tax cut to the most wealthy in particular.

This morning after the government backdown, Philp went back to Sky News where he was interviewed by Kay Burley. He was pressed by Kay Burley about his part in developing the policy of tax cuts for the wealthy. Burley mentioned a paper written by Philp suggesting the tax cuts. ‘Was it your idea?’, she asked. ‘Did you suggest in writing that this could be a good idea?’ she said. He refused to answer saying he had said as much as he wanted to say on this. ‘It was your idea wasn’t it?’ Kay Burley pressed on, remorseless.

‘Do you think that people should own their mistakes?’ asked Kay Burley. Philp carried on attempting to justify the mini budget and concluded ‘We have listened to public opinion we have listened to parliamentary opinion. This idea clearly wasn’t popular, so we have removed it’.

It is a pity that the government refused the offer of advice from the Office for Budget Responsibility who could have forecast the market uncertainty that would be provoked by this move. Instead the prime minister has pressed ahead with a trickle down policy that has failed every time it has been attempted and households will be facing rises in mortgage payments causing real hardship during what promises to be an extremely difficult winter.

Philp now finds himself in a tricky position. When a journalist is pressing as hard as Kay Burley was on Philp’s involvement in the development of this policy, it is very likely that she has some proof up her sleeve. A question he needs to ask himself is how this information got out. Philp’s support of this hugely unpopular policy will cost him friends and votes in Croydon South constituency. There are a lot of people with tough mortgages in Croydon South. His efforts at policy making on the hoof will be costing these households a great deal of money.