In power for just 28 days – and for 10 of them politics was suspended after the Queen’s death – it was the worst possible start for Liz Truss.
A (mini) budget unveiling £45bn of tax relief without a fiscal framework, speeding up a £65bn emergency bond-buying program by the Bank of England to protect pension funds.
The pound fell, 1,000 mortgage deals were pulled from the markets in anticipation of the interest rate hike.
And then a prime minister who was not the flip-flopper announced a huge policy U-turn.
So the question of the new prime minister was really one of leadership – and judgement.
How bad is it and, most importantly, can Liz Truss regain control?
She never really had the support of the parliamentary party anyway – Rishi Sunak was their first choice initially.
Can she regain her power after only 28 days? Is this already a prime minister in office, but not in power?
A tough set of questions after a brutal few weeks, this is a Prime Minister determined to move on.
Her message: These are tough times and we’re getting through it.
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2:34 Can Liz Truss be trusted?
She dismissed the questions and continued with her messages about making tough decisions and delivering the energy support package for households and businesses.
As for the U-turn, the Prime Minister insisted she had “absolutely no shame” in scrapping her plan to scrap the 45p top rate and that she had listened to her party and the public.
A performance that, for her supporters, showed a politician of enormous resilience and drive.
A prime minister with a clear eye on what to do for the economy. But to detractors, it is a leader in denial – even delusional – about the challenges she faces, both with her party and the public.
As she continues, there are murmurs all around that she has lost control of her party and this will hinder her agenda.
The U-turn on the 45p rate, the battleground now shifts to increasing benefits.
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10:01 Do the public and cabinet still believe in Truss?
Read more: Liz Truss says ‘not ashamed’ of U-turn on 45p tax cut
A senior figure joked to me on Monday night that this was a prime minister with dozens of former cabinet ministers on the backbench campaigning.
As one member of the emerging “rebel alliance” told me: “The prime minister doesn’t have a mandate for much of what he wants to do, but what he does have is a group of MPs willing to run it out of cabinet rather than in it.”
So, a Prime Minister out of control and a Conservative Party in chaos.
There has been no message of discipline from her cabinet, with various ministers sharing opposing views on raising benefits according to earnings rather than inflation.
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Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman attacked the rebels and accused them of staging a coup over the 45p rate.
As for the leader, Mrs Truss must try to rein in her party and her speech on Wednesday will be a moment for the new prime minister to try to get some momentum behind her.
But even one of her supporters said the prime minister had several months to turn that around and close the gap in the polls.
For now, this Conservative government looks set to hand the keys to power to Labor at the next general election.
If it stays that way, Ms Truss’ torrid start will only get worse.
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