The “straight-talking Yorkshire woman” wants to build on Brexit and review the Bank of England’s mandate
© Getty Images / Aaron Chown
Tory leadership candidate and potential prime minister Liz Truss says that while she is not “the slickest presenter,” she is a “straight-talking Yorkshire woman” who does not take no for an answer.
In an interview on Friday with The Telegraph, Truss, who now serves as foreign secretary, said she sees herself as “an insurgent” candidate who wants to make Britain “a high growth, high productivity, powerhouse.”
Her promises of more than £30 billion in tax cuts, as well as her plan to increase defense spending and anti-Russia stance are well-known; however, she told The Telegraph she has more big plans. Asked about inflation, Truss said she would conduct a review of the Bank of England’s mandate. “I believe it is right that inflation will come down because inflation was caused by a global supply shock. But it was exacerbated by monetary policy,” she explained.
The foreign secretary also said she wants to conduct a spending review. “The best way to get welfare spending down is to help people get into work, and that is my priority.”
Truss considers herself more radical than her competitor – former Chancellor Rishi Sunak – when it comes to building on Brexit. A former ‘Remainer’, Truss pointed to the trade deals she has helped to secure over the past few years, and noted that she already has the support of some prominent Brexiteers. She pledged to ensure that decisions on the future of more than 2,000 EU laws, which were adopted in the past by the UK, will be made by the end of next year. Sunak has made a similar promise.
“I’m a great believer in deadlines, because that’s what motivates people to get things done,” Truss said.
The foreign secretary denied reports that outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson backs her bid.
“He is not backing any candidate,” she said.
According to the latest YouGov poll, 31% of Tory members plan to vote for Sunak, and 49% for Truss, who holds “sizeable advantages” in trustworthiness and ability to lead the party. The survey was conducted on July 20-21 with 730 Conservative Party members.
The winner will be announced on September 5, after a postal vote of approximately 150,000 Tory party members.
