Liz Truss

Pre-Politics

Went to school at a range of state schools. She cites that she was later inspired to join the Conservatives because of the poor education she received. Which doesn’t make sense for two reasons: First, the Conservatives were in power while she was at school. Second, her education couldn't have been that bad if she got into Oxford University.

Throughout Truss’ time at Oxford, she was an active member of the Liberal Democrats. She was also an anti-monarchist.

After graduating, Truss worked for energy company Shell

Political Career

Truss became a Conservative MP in 2010. She rose through the ranks quickly and had a series of ministerial and cabinet posts.

The following are just some examples of what she got up to in that time.

Loves to spend other people’s (i.e. taxpayer’s) money

Truss claims that she wants to see a smaller state, and less Government spending and fewer “handouts”. Seemingly she doesn’t think that includes spending taxpayers money on herself. For example

Lavish dinners costing thousands of pounds per day (one for £3,000 and another for £1400, for example). These are often, conveniently, in private members’ clubs where the owners generously donate to the Tory party.
Claimed £1548 on expenses to pay for the heating for her second home, despite a £150,000+ salary.
Put Amazon Prime subscription on expenses
Spent £500,000 private plane to Australia
She has been chased up for £12,000 worth of missing bathrobes and slippers which were taken from the Government-owned country estate Chevening.

Labour MP, Emily Thornberry describes in this Twitter thread, an example where Truss covered up then lied about the expenses she claims on extravagant “business” trips in Asia.

Disdain for normal people

In 2012, Truss co-authored a book with other MPs which described British people as “the biggest idlers in the world”.

Truss distanced herself from this comment, saying she didn’t write it. However, 10 years later, a leaked recording revealed her saying the same thing, that British workers “need more graft”

Apologist for the wealthy and powerful

She is very quick to defend the UK’s biggest idler, Boris Johnson. In this clip, she sticks up for her boss when he hosted a party in his house the day before Prince Philip’s funeral. Which is ok, because he delivered Brexit “we need to move on”

Making bad faith arguments that people shouldn’t have to apologise for being successful. Or when the public were panicking about Winter's energy bills, she excused the profiteering of gas and electricity companies by saying that "profit isn't a bad thing".

On the eve of her becoming Prime Minister, told the BBC it was fair that the richest should get the most benefit of tax cuts that they don’t need.

Inconsistency over Brexit

Truss was a strong supporter of the UK remaining in the EU before the 2016 referendum. She has subsequently changed her mind. She now claims that “I believed there would be massive economic problems but those haven’t come to pass and I’ve also seen the opportunities.” Despite the fact the things she said would happen before the vote, have actually happened.

There’s nothing wrong with changing opinion. But the fact that Truss struggles to defend it in any meaningful way, suggests she may not believe what she says.

General Lack of Political Intelligence

In Liz Truss’s first speech as Prime Minister to her Conference, she emphasised small state, less regulation. Commitment to the free market. But strangely, she doesn’t trust it enough. Because she put a big focus on the state intervening in providing better broadband and phone signal. Which is Ideologically all over the place.

In the same speech, Truss also talked about experiencing the consequences of low economic growth first hand in the 80s and 90s: boarded up shops, drug problems, less opportunity. This is her justification for lowering taxes on the wealthy. However, what she doesn’t realise is that the Conservatives, and her supposed idol Margaret Thatcher, were in power during these years. She wants to emulate the policies that were in place when, as she claims, the country was at it’s worst time.

Other examples include:

Calling the democratically elected leader of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon was an attention seeker and should be ignored.
Claims to be a child of the Union. But even though she is Prime Minister of all UK countries, both the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales have said that they haven’t even had a phone call with her months after gaining power
Said the “jury was still out” when asked if leader of France, Emmanuel Macron was a friend or foe.
She supporting British people going to fight in Ukraine then backtracked when she realised how ridiculous it was

Lack of any intelligence?

Raging narcissist and self promoter

The taxpayer paid for Liz Truss’ self promotional dress-up games. She was the most photographed member of Government.

Here she is doing her best Thatcher impression.

Often, they’re highly inappropriate, like when she visited Russia. When you’re trying your best to stop the invasion of Ukraine, is it really the best use of time?

The weirdest examples are often on her Twitter, where the account will Tweet about a world-event, and rather include a photo of the subject, she put a photo of herself.

The shortest-serving Prime Minister

Truss became Prime Minister in 2022. She was the candidate most backed by bankers and hedge fund managers, many of whom bet against the success of the UK.

However, she lasted around 48 days, the shortest amount of time anyone has ever ruled.

Comeback?

It didn't take long for Truss to try and stage a political comeback. To coincide with her successor, and former rival, Rishi Sunak's first 100 days as Prime Minister, she penned a 4000 word essay in The Telegraph, which outlines why nothing that happened that caused Truss to stand down was her fault.

Rather than admit defeat, she shamelessly promotes and defends what she did as Prime Minister. Still blaming the "woke" on her downfall. Her brand of politics, to take from the poor to give to the rich for the sake of "trickle down economics" does not work. They've been trying it for 40 years and inequality is only getting worse.

Since resigning as Prime Minister, Liz Truss is paid £15,770 for work over her MP salary. This included £20,000 per hour for a speaking gig in Taiwan.

It seems that Truss still sees a way back into front line politics. She hosted a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in 2023, which she still talked about the low tax policies that cost her the job as Prime Minister.

She has established a body called The Growth Commission, which campaigns for less spending by Government and lower taxes.

Who funds Truss? Dodgy donations

On the race to become Prime Minister in 2022, Liz Truss raised almost £500,000 from donors to fund her campaign. Almost half of this came from mega rich hedge funds and bankers, i.e people who would benefit from the reverse Robin Hood handouts announced shortly after she won.

The biggest single donation of £100k came from Fitriani Hay, wife of James Hay, a former BP executive with a luxury goods empire.