Liz Truss isn’t even PM yet and she’s just pulled a spectacular u-turn
The Tory leadership contest has ramped up with several more opportunists MPs lining up behind Liz Truss, and election promises becoming increasingly desperate.
BREAKING: The latest poll shows 26% of Tory members are backing Rishi Sunak. This is because 26% of Tory members are idiots.
The poll also shows 60% of Tory members are backing Liz Truss. This is because 60% of Tory members are even worse than idiots x
— Laura Kuenssberg Translator (@BBCLauraKT) August 2, 2022
Theresa May promised to fix David Cameron's mess.
Boris Johnson promised to fix Theresa May's mess.
Liz Truss & Rishi Sunak are now promising to fix Johnson's mess.
Forgive my scepticism, but I have zero confidence that the Tories are capable of rectifying their own misrule.
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) August 1, 2022
One week ago #PennyMordaunt said a vote for #LizTruss was tantamount to the “murder” of her party. Today she’s endorsing the ‘murderer’ #Liz4Leader She is the very definition of unprincipled. How can anyone take these sleekit people seriously? pic.twitter.com/bQtJbE5W6w
— JOHN NICOLSON M.P. (@MrJohnNicolson) August 2, 2022
On Monday, Truss appeared to torch the years of lip service her party has been paying to the idea of levelling up the North, with a bold new policy of setting pay based on UK geography.
https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1554359708575735814?t=tUCnOyO2IAJPclUxIHp4YQ&s=19
Her plan would have seen new staff paid on a different scale than existing public sector workers – a policy guaranteed to suppress recruitment.
The problem: 40,000 nursing vacancies
Liz Truss' solution: Cut nurses pay.
— Trades Union Congress (@The_TUC) August 2, 2022
That Liz Truss is a beauty isn’t she? Pay cuts for public sector workers in the North. The meanest, cruellest people you could ever meet are running our country!
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) August 2, 2022
Actually speechless.
There is simply no way you can do this without a massive pay cut for 5.5m people including nurses, police officers and our armed forces outside London.
So much that we’ve worked for in places like Teesside, would be undone https://t.co/PU7vDKoToo
— Ben Houchen (@BenHouchen) August 2, 2022
With widespread condemnation from both sides of political opinion, and despite the vocal and visible support of Jacob Rees-Mogg, the idea was apparently scrapped, with Liz Truss making this statement.
https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1554503381829419014?t=J7RpeFXP14Ef0QqD9RRN9Q&s=19
“My policy on this has been misrepresented.”
“I’m somebody who is honest and upfront.”
A quick fact check on those two statements …no and no.
.@trussliz campaign today: “There has been a *wilful misrepresentation* of our campaign…There will be no proposal taken forward on regional pay boards for civil servants or public sector workers.”
*Wilful* Truss press release yesterday: "all public sector workers" pic.twitter.com/HxWAB5ORsN
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) August 2, 2022
The dreadful policy, the screeching u-turn and the subsequent lie about it all caught people’s attention.
Here’s what they had to say about it.
1.
It turns out Liz Truss willfully misrepresented her own public sector pay proposals pic.twitter.com/RLJOgtB4HP
— Robert Peston (@Peston) August 2, 2022
2.
A case study of the danger in photocopying a Taxpayers' Alliance press release – adding a few billion – and presenting it as a programme for govt
https://t.co/BbtMYGw55N— George Parker (@GeorgeWParker) August 2, 2022
3.
Stupid populist policy announcement from Truss, followed by screeching u-turn followed by egregious lies. What a grimly familiar cycle. Boris Johnson’s corruption of British politics will not be fixed by his removal from Downing Street.
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) August 2, 2022
4.
Continuity Johnson. https://t.co/fniR7pHGqB
— James Oh Brien (@mrjamesob) August 2, 2022
5.
Good to see Liz Truss adopting my tried and tested approach of making up insane policies on the hoof then doing a screeching U-turn when it goes down like a fart in a lift.
— Parody Boris (@Parody_PM) August 2, 2022
6.
It’s nice of Liz Truss to give us a little taster of the kind of chaotic vibe she’s going to being to Downing Street. An aperitif if you will.
— Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO) August 2, 2022
7.
So cocky @trussliz was making it up in the hoof for a few cheers from the golf club bores. Well shocked I am not. Looks like they are picking another non serious person to take over from the other one.
— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) August 2, 2022
8.
Someone should maybe tell the spokesperson for @trussliz that this contest is only happening because the last guy just kept on lying, and his spokesperson had to apologise for deliberately lying for months.
There has been no “misrepresentation” of anything at all. pic.twitter.com/93AoQoMzyg
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) August 2, 2022
9.
I’m still dumbfounded at just how daft Liz Truss’s regional pay cut plans were.
And they were so explicit too – saving money specifically by cutting public employee pay more in poorer regions. Absolutely explicit. Levelling down.
The plan was daft as a lobotomised toothpick.
— Mike Galsworthy (@mikegalsworthy) August 2, 2022
10.
World Beating for something alright…. Fastest U-Turn in history! Liz Truss … what delights await us!
— Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@snb19692) August 2, 2022
11.
– Makes up policy on the hoof
– Gets figures wrong
– Thoughtlessly plays to audience
– Upsets her own party
– U-turns in 16 hours
– Rushes out anti-woke nonsense to cover
– Claims it's all the press's fault
– Hides from scrutinyBlimey. Truss really IS the continuity candidate. https://t.co/hsYcebSR8G
— Alex Andreou (@sturdyAlex) August 2, 2022
12.
https://twitter.com/davemacladd/status/1554475295964643333?t=N9inrwrp66TVML8xzO86sQ&s=19
It’s all very embarrassing for Cosplay Thatcher Barbie.
https://twitter.com/secrettory12/status/1554425585895620609?t=5rRy_M7aoiZ49bVrivxxGg&s=19
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You can probably guess what people think of Liz Truss’ plan to ‘unleash’ British farming
Source Angela Rayner Image Screengrab
