The prime minister and chancellor have had an awful week, losing control of the economy.

Liz Truss was never my choice for prime minister, but I never thought she’d be shown to be a disaster quite so quickly.

However, I’ll reserve my sympathy for those people who’ve felt the impact of her incompetence.

For the people who’ve spoken to me worried about the cost of their mortgages or about their pensions.

For those in my constituency struggling to get by as costs rise, who have seen the government prioritise tax cuts for the rich and increasing limits on bankers’ bonuses above standing up for working people like them.

A run on the pound. The humiliation for the government of the IMF voicing its concerns and the Bank of England having to intervene. The biggest unforced economic error of any government in my lifetime, eclipsing even Black Wednesday in the 1990s.

Politics is about choices.

So, under the Conservatives, the rest of us pay the price for their decision to prioritise giveaways for the rich. They’ve gambled in pursuit of their ideology – but the cruel twist is they were gambling with our money, not their own.

In doing so, they have surrendered any chance of being seen as competent managers of our money.

They always claimed there was no ‘magic money tree’, but they tried to find one for their rich friends, before being found out.

Britain deserves so much better than this disgraceful spectacle. But there is hope.

I was at Labour conference last week, where Keir Starmer outlined his plans for a fairer, greener future for Britain.

Keir’s speech showed a prime minister in waiting, someone capable of offering the serious leadership we need in serious times.

I was proud to address conference as Shadow International Trade Secretary, and talk about my plans to focus trade negotiations on driving growth and providing quality jobs right across Britain. We have some fantastic British companies who could lead the way with green exports, helping the world tackle climate change. But they need a government that is on their side.

Selling British innovation on climate change is a key part of delivering jobs and prosperity across the UK. But that needs a government capable of striking trade deals that prioritise the right things.

With a government in turmoil, trashing our international reputation as well as our economy, I fear the chances of that happening under Liz Truss is somewhat remote. After 12 years of the Tories, the past week has shown that Britain needs change.