Truss warns Tory party could ‘effectively die’ as she takes aim at Sunak
Former Tory leader Liz Truss has warned her party “could effectively die” as she criticised Rishi Sunak’s leadership.
The ex-prime minister’s 90-minute Edinburgh Festival Fringe show saw her share her dislike for her predecessor and go up against audience members who called on her to “just apologise” over the effects of her government’s mini-budget.
During the All Talk With Iain Dale show, which was instead hosted by LBC’s Matthew Stadlen, Ms Truss told the audience that the Reform Party could replace the Tories as the party representing the “right”.
She said Reform leader Nigel Farage could have a place in the Tory party if her party recognised the need to break away from “consensus” politics.
Change
Ms Truss told the audience: “I think if the Conservative Party wants to survive, and I think there is a real question about whether it does survive or whether or not Reform becomes the party of the right in Britain, it needs to advocate for genuine change and it needs to be prepared to say what we got wrong in the last 14 years not to deliver that change.
“I’m hearing too much from candidates saying, ‘we need unity’, or ‘we need to dampen things down’. I think that’s completely wrong – that’s not where the country is.”
The former prime minister said she had not decided who she would back in the leadership campaign, which is set to be decided in November, however, she said it was a “shame” former home secretary Suella Braverman had not entered the race.
Ms Truss replied with a blunt “yes” when asked whether the “Conservative Party could effectively die”.
‘Disingenuous’
The former party leader was also blunt when questioned on her relationship with Mr Sunak, replying “no” when asked if she “personally” got on with her successor.
She added: “I’m a pretty honest person, I don’t get on with him personally.
“I haven’t spoken to him since he entered Downing Street pretty much. I don’t share his politics and I think he was disingenuous during the leadership contest and, frankly, he said many things I don’t approve of while he was prime minister, including attacking my record.”
Ms Truss, who served as prime minister for just 49 days, entered the Pleasance stage to a mix of applause and boos, with a heckler interrupting the event to tell the former leader she should “just apologise” for the economic effects of her mini-budget, which saw interest rates increase and impacted mortgage rates.
‘Inane’
She replied to the heckler, saying: “This is the kind of inane comment that I get from people who do not understand or care what is going on.
“There’s somebody in the audience who doesn’t even want to listen to my answer, who doesn’t want to understand what actually happened and all they care about is trading political insults and, frankly, that is why the country is in the mess we are in now because we’re not having a serious discussion about why the British economy is not succeeding.”
She told the audience she “did not accept” the link between her governance and the economic crisis, adding the Bank of England had accepted fault for “two-thirds” of the problem.
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There goes a walking ego on stilts that affords her the nerve of accepting no culpability for the consequences of her actions. She and her ilk are destructive human beings. Do not treat her and the likes of Braverman lightly. They still possess the capacity to bring about disaster. Gone but not forgotten!
Same awful ex MP and ex Lettuce that was out supporting a Trump rally in the US so no surprise she would support farage. Same EX PM that tanked a nations economy.
She is absolutely deaf to peoples ills that she caused. No trade deals she has done did us any favours, a total wreck of a politician.
And ARTD fully supported her as PM. That went well.
No one is interested!! Lettuce woman
Lettuce pray she goes away.
I’d like to ask her two questions. If she thinks she’s the answer to everything, why isn’t she standing for leader again and if she aligns with Farage, is she enjoying the riots?
“She told the audience she “did not accept” the link between her governance and the economic crisis” – Well the Stock market believed she was at fault and ultimately it was the Stock market’s response – that forced her to resign. She has to accept some responsibilty and realise her warped ideology – does not work.
This woman has a score to settle.
She claimed the Bank of England took responsibility for two thirds of the problem but admitted she was responsible for the other two thirds
‘Former Tory leader Liz Truss has warned her party “could effectively die” …’
It might indeed. But if indeed it does, and it turns out that the Farage bunch replace it, Truss will be arguably one of the the most significant of its assassins!
Ah right, so if Truss was still leader last month, then the tories would have won another whopping majority??
The tories were doomed no matter whom they could replace as their leader.
It should also be noted that not all tory voters like Farage, and not all Reform voters would vote tory, so the idea that they could form a combined electable force again is a bit far-fetched. If you want to win elections then you have to go for the centre ground.
Any party can “Die” if their ideology is out of touch with the electorate, with instant comments available through technology which has challenged the old medium of public meetings we live in the age of the Internet not leaflets through letterboxes. Liz truss should be on her hands and knees grovelling and apologising for her mess and out of touch policy’s and out dated ideology.
Their ideology may be out dated but the party faithful will still vote for them as can be seen in the latest GE. The majority of the people just want a fair deal but the main parties still stick to their doctrines. There has been a slight change with Reform
getting a large slice of the votes whether this is a good thing who knows. Also the
Labourites were championing voting reform lets see if that happens now they are in
who knows ………..