July 14th 2024.
In her first statement since the General Election, Liz Truss did not hold back. She attributed the Conservative Party's crushing defeat to Rishi Sunak's actions, claiming that he had damaged her reputation. The former Prime Minister pulled no punches, accusing her successor of abandoning Tory principles during his time in office.
Truss, who became the first ex-PM since 1935 to lose her seat in an election, spoke out for the first time since her "devastating" loss earlier this month. She revealed that she had previously refrained from commenting in order to prevent further harm to the party. "However, I feel that I must speak out now," she wrote in The Daily Telegraph. "More than 250 of us paid the electoral price for this, and regrettably, it will be the British people who bear the consequences over the next five years."
The 48-year-old, who saw her 14-year tenure as an MP come to an end, insisted that she had tried to challenge the status quo with her brief, tax-cutting agenda, which she described as "Blairite economic orthodoxy." "Sunak and his allies may have gained an advantage in the Conservative leadership contest by claiming that cutting taxes does not stimulate growth," she said. "However, this betrayal of Conservative values not only failed to win over voters, but also led to an even bigger defeat in the general election as he continued to discredit my record and promote Labour's false narrative."
Truss contended that the gambling scandal that rocked the Tories during the campaign had dampened enthusiasm among voters. She also criticized Sunak for failing to effectively address leftist policies, such as net zero and gender self-identification. According to Truss, she was the only one who attempted to take a different approach. She added that Sunak's emphasis on stopping immigration while allowing record levels of immigration had also contributed to the party's downfall.
The former PM also highlighted her accomplishments during her time in office, including reducing the tax burden and reversing Sunak's Health and Social Care Levy. In contrast, she accused Sunak of prioritizing short-term gains over long-term progress during the Conservative leadership race in 2022.
Looking ahead, Truss predicted that the public would not tolerate Labour's policies for long, as they have no plans for reducing taxes, deregulating, or downsizing the government. "After five years of Labour, the public will be yearning for a popular Conservative alternative," she said.
In the 2024 General Election, Labour won a staggering 411 seats, while the Conservatives suffered their worst defeat yet, with only 121 seats. Sunak resigned as Tory leader after the humiliating loss, but managed to retain his seat in Richmond and Northallerton in North Yorkshire. As for Truss, she is no longer an MP, but her strong words serve as a reminder of the impact of political decisions on both the party and the nation as a whole.
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