Liz Truss accepted a £20,000 journey from an unknown mysterious US group with potential hyperlinks to Donald Trump.
The former PM stayed at a five-star lodge known as The Cloister on the personal Sea Island off the coast of Georgia, US, in February. The occasion was organised by the Green Dragon Coalition and marketed as a “small gathering of the great minds of today”.
In the register of members’ interests, Ms Truss, who is the Tory MP for South West Norfolk, recorded an approximately £19,541 donation “to attend a political convention”. This was made up of £14,871 on flights and £4,670 on accommodation for herself and a staff member. The dates of the visit were from February 1-5.
There is little known about the Green Dragon Coalition but it says on its website it “values selfless leaders who prioritize their nation’s welfare over private re-election ambitions”. It says it aims to empower individuals with “the braveness to withstand the ‘swamp'” and that its “supreme candidates embody restricted authorities, particular person liberty, and financial duty of their private {and professional} endeavours”.
Its website also features a photo of Mike Lee, a Republican Senator for Utah, who has endorsed Donald Trump to return as US President. During the Trump presidency, Mr Lee became closer to the then-President and has since been accused of promoting a conspiracy theory about the January 6 Capitol riots.
Ms Truss, who crashed the economy with her unfunded tax cuts as PM, recently sparked controversy at CPAC, a separate right-wing conference in DC. The ex-PM was criticised after she stayed silent in an interview where Tommy Robinson was called a “hero” and claimed the “deep state” sabotaged her plans as PM.
Chair of the Labour Party Anneliese Dodds accused Mr Truss of “propagating conspiracy theories” and “associating with people who’ve truly praised the far proper in our nation”. Labour called on the Rishi Sunak to remove the Tory whip from the disgraced ex-PM but he failed to take any action.
Labour’s prospective candidate for South West Norfolk, Terry Jermy, told the BBC: “Time and time once more Liz Truss demonstrates that her precedence isn’t South West Norfolk. Whether it’s this newest journey to the USA the place she was spreading conspiracy theories or making earlier profitable paid speeches world wide. Residents are telling me repeatedly they need an MP centered on their issues and challenges, not somebody distracted by the intense lights of the world stage.”
The invite to the more recent Green Dragon Coalition event said: “We invite you to a small gathering that may embrace a number of the nice minds of immediately – the artistic visionaries, influential authors, educators, entrepreneurs, and political luminaries – to assemble once more, and put into movement a restoration of the constitutional ideas that gave rise to a uniquely American tradition of civic duty and limitless financial alternative.”