Liz Truss has claimed that if she had not been removed as prime minister after 49 days in office, the UK would have become an interplanetary economic power, with several missions to Mars launched from Britain by 2040.
In her new book, Bank Job, the country's shortest-serving PM sets out her reasons for why the fallout from her mini-budget was not her fault. The final chapter, titled '2040', outlines her vision for the country had she been allowed to complete her term at No 10.
A vision for 2040
Alongside proposals to repeal the Equality Act, Human Rights Act and Climate Change Act, Truss writes: 'Several missions to Mars have now been launched from Britain's space port.'
The UK currently has two spaceports, one of which, Saxavord in Shetland, is capable of vertical rocket launches. Neither has hosted any launches so far, and scaling up from sending small satellites to orbit to sending a crew on the months-long voyage to Mars would require significant expansion.
Since leaving office
It has been four years since Truss's short tenure, during which inflation exceeded 10%, the economy entered crisis, and Queen Elizabeth II died. She lost her seat to Labour at the 2024 general election and has since embraced right-wing populism while offering various theories for her downfall that do not involve her own actions.
In March, she spoke to the former head of Donald Trump's Border Patrol and suggested the UK should have the right to bear arms.
Reception of the book
Bank Job: A Short Book on How the Bank of England Broke the Bond Market and Brought Down the Government is Truss's second book since leaving office in 2022. Her first, Ten Years to Save the West, was not well received by critics, and her latest effort appears to be meeting similar reviews.
A reviewer in the Daily Telegraph called Bank Job 'the most deranged things I've ever read', while the Financial Times said the premise is 'as sober, serious and measured as you'd expect from someone who wants to abolish the United Nations'.
