Former Prime Minister Liz Truss has been promoting her new book, Bank Job, in which she defends the mini-Budget that ended her premiership. In an interview for The Daily Expresso podcast, JJ Anisiobi challenged her account of events, noting that she blames everyone but herself for her downfall.
Who Liz Truss Blames
Truss reportedly attributes her political collapse to a long list of individuals, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, the Bank of England, Rishi Sunak, Mel Stride, Graham Brady, and various civil servants. She also criticises what she describes as left-wing officials and their enthusiasm for immigration.
Anisiobi acknowledges that Britain's economic institutions are not beyond criticism and that the Bank of England makes mistakes. However, he argues that none of this absolves a Prime Minister of responsibility for decisions taken on her watch.
Criticism of the Budget
Anisiobi agreed with Truss's criticism of Andy Burnham's first Budget, describing it as mostly a "nothing burger." However, he noted that it did not trigger the market turmoil seen during her brief time in Downing Street.
He also challenged Truss's claim of patriotism, pointing out that repeatedly travelling to America to tell foreign audiences how dreadful Britain has become is not his idea of patriotism. He suggests that while loving your country doesn't mean pretending everything is wonderful, there is a difference between wanting Britain to improve and appearing to relish telling the world how hopeless it is.
Truss's Credibility
Anisiobi believes Truss is damaging herself by remaining overexposed, surrounding herself with questionable political company, and receiving advice that does little to restore her credibility. He suggests that former world leaders should possess a certain dignity and not behave like aggrieved contestants on a reality television programme.
He concludes that while Truss might occasionally make a reasonable argument, people have stopped listening because she refuses to acknowledge her own mistakes. Truss wants Britain to believe she was right all along, but Anisiobi suspects Britain will continue refusing to believe her.
