Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has stirred political debate with her call for a “British Trump” to lead a right-wing revolution akin to the movements seen in the United States.
Speaking at a summit in New Delhi, Truss doubled down on her controversial economic policies and lamented what she described as an obstructive “powerful bureaucracy” in Britain.
Truss, whose 49-day premiership was Britain’s shortest, appeared undeterred by her abrupt fall from power in October 2022. Dismissing criticism of her mini-Budget, which proposed £45 billion in tax cuts and sent financial markets into turmoil, she claimed the crisis was due to the Bank of England’s failures, not her fiscal policies.
“It’s a left-wing view that my tax plans were unfunded,” Truss asserted. She pointed the finger at the Bank of England, blaming its “failure to regulate pension funds properly” for the fallout.
Despite her brief tenure, Truss has become increasingly vocal in adopting the rhetoric seen in American right-wing politics.
She noted that voters who supported Brexit and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson are seeking the same transformative changes as Trump’s supporters in the U.S.
Building a ‘Fighting Force’
Truss expressed support for merging the best of Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, with Conservative members such as Suella Braverman to create a coalition capable of pushing back against the “very powerful bureaucracy” she says thwarted her leadership.
She likened this new political movement to America’s Maga and Tea Party factions, both influential in shaping the country’s right-wing landscape.
“What the people of Britain actually want … they want the same kind of revolution that Trump is delivering in America,” Truss declared.
The former prime minister argued that Britain’s civil service, which she views as resistant to change, stands in the way of progress. “We have a very powerful bureaucracy who want to keep us attached to Europe … and want to continue with the status quo,” she added.
Reflections on Leadership
When asked whether she sees herself as the leader of such a movement, Truss was quick to clarify. “I’m not putting myself forward. I’ve already put my fingers in the fire and had them very severely burned,” she admitted. However, she did not shy away from stressing the need for a leader with a bold approach.
“That is the type of approach which we now need to get the change in Britain,” she insisted, hinting that the political landscape in Europe could be on the brink of a major shift similar to what has been seen across the Atlantic.
Truss pointed to the resurgence of former U.S. President Donald Trump as evidence of the power such movements can wield. “The Trump revolution that we’re seeing in the U.S. – that is coming to Europe,” she predicted, citing signs of public discontent in France and Germany amid economic stagnation.
“So you are going to see major changes in Europe as well as Britain in the next five to 10 years,” Truss added, painting a picture of a continent on the cusp of political transformation.
While Truss emphasized she would not be leading this British right-wing shift herself, she called for a strong figure to take up the mantle.
Her comments come as the Conservative Party grapples with internal divisions and its electoral defeat in July, which she attributed to policies that were not sufficiently conservative.
The speech has sparked mixed reactions, with critics questioning the implications of a push toward a more extreme right-wing agenda in British politics.
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