Liz Truss has been accused of storming No10 with unrealistic plans in a stinging book that says any blame lies with her.
A fresh dissection of the former Prime Minister’s disastrous 49-day tenure lays bare the arrogance, shambles and in-fighting at the heart of Downing Street. Veteran biographer Sir Anthony Seldon’s book, published on Thursday, rejects Ms Truss’s claims that a “deep state” scuppered her economic plans.
Instead he concluded she was aware of the risks of her plans and that a culture of “confidence and daring” led to the mistakes made. The book has also documented evidence of tensions between the ex-PM and those in her party, with claims that Sajid Javid warned her “I will make your life hell” if she did not sack a No10 aide who briefed against him.
Ms Truss has repeatedly refused to apologise for a spike in mortgage rates after her 2022 mini-Budget sent markets into meltdown. Thousands are still reeling from the impact of the fallout, with many forced to sell their homes after their mortgage payments spiralled out of control. The shameless ex-PM has insisted a “deep state” of left wingers infiltrating schools, university campuses and corporate boardrooms sabotaged her premiership.
But Sir Anthony concluded simply: “There was no coordinated ‘deep state’ attempt to unseat her and defeat her project.” In a scathing conclusion, the political biographer wrote: “Truss came to power with a bold plan, a benefit many recent Prime Ministers did not have. But it was not realistic to launch it in the way she did, or at the time she did, or with some of the content she did.
“She could have involved the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility), who might have provided some much-needed scepticism. As it was, the atmosphere led to a cycle of self-reinforcing groupthink as confidence and daring led to arrogance and, ultimately, hubris. The written evidence from the time is clear. She was explicitly warned of the risks of what she was doing. She has no one else to blame but herself.”