Not only was Truss’ premiership a disaster, she embodies traits many people hate about the modern Tory party. Labour should keep reminding people of that, and there’s an old trick they can use to do it, says Will Cooling
If there is one bias that the media has, a bias that is literally hardwired into the word “news”, it is an inclination to focus on new developments. In a world where all outlets are constantly screaming “breaking news” it’s easy to forget that the latest development is often not the most important one.
When we look at the mess the Tory Party is in, it’s easy (and fun) to focus on whichever mistake Rishi Sunak has made most recently. But whilst the Prime Minister has lived down to the worst expectations of his critics, it is the mistakes of his predecessor that explains why the Tories are doomed to lose the next election. It was Liz Truss who not only confirmed the Tory Party’s reputation for being on the side of the rich by trying to borrow billions to abolish the top rate of tax, but in doing so, she destroyed what was left of the party’s reputation for fiscal prudence and saddled it with the blame for everyone’s debt repayments becoming more expensive.
Today, Sunak is not a popular politician, with YouGov putting his favourability at -35 per cent. But Labour would still be delighted to run against Truss rather than him. And that’s not just because her premiership was a disaster but because she exemplifies the traits that so many of us hate about the modern Tory Party; the unearned self-confidence, the obsession with image and spin, the unthinking extremism, the refusal to take accountability and genuinely strange personal behaviour. Nothing better demonstrates how unserious and unpleasant a person Truss is, than the fact that she can so confidently talk about how we need to take an axe to services and benefits that ordinary people rely on, while expecting taxpayers to pay for someone to do her hair, makeup, cooking, and shopping.
Of course, Labour is not running against Liz Truss, although they have not been shy about reminding people about her. The question of course is what more Labour can do to keep Truss in the news, especially as we’ve seen before that left to her own devices she will fade into the background after a couple of weeks. Even in the General Election she’s unlikely to be a major figure, with her majority so large that her re-election is likely to be a procession. Compare that to Jeremy Corbyn who, if he decides to stand as an independent in Islington North, will attract a lot of attention as he tries to beat the party he so recently led.
If I was Labour, I would try to make Liz Truss’s re-election campaign more interesting – and there’s an old trick they can use to achieve this. Back in 1997, Neil Hamilton in many ways personified Tory Sleaze following a cash for questions scandal, but his Tatton seat was such a safe one, that he was expected to be re-elected without much drama. Labour and the Liberal Democrats instead withdrew their candidates to make way for an “anti-corruption” candidate in the form of the BBC’s Martin Bell. The sight of such a famous news reporter walking around the constituency in his white suit ensured the unpopular Hamilton featured much more prominently in election coverage than he otherwise would have, which undoubtedly hurt the Tories nationally. And as an added bonus, Bell actually won the seat!
The progressive parties should do the same to Truss. Withdraw their candidates from South West Norfolk, and put in their place a celebrity candidate that can articulate what ordinary people so disliked about her and her premiership. Even if they don’t win, they would still ensure that Truss’ attempt to win re-election becomes a media circus, reminding everyone why we’re glad she’s no longer Prime Minister and can’t wait for her colleagues to similarly leave government