Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
No Thatcher: the imminent blandness of Liz Truss
SOLOMON HUGHES recalls the Tory hopeful’s championing of tax havens at party conferences as one of the few distinguishing features of her unremarkable political career — nine of which have been as a minister
The record seems to be Truss is always happy to perform for an offshore tax avoidance lobby, as long as it is paying for the drinks to win over the crowd — it feels a lot more spiv than Tory patriotism

WITH the coronation of Liz Truss approaching, I had a look back through my files to see if I could find any clues to what Truss would do as PM.

Truss is trying to give off Thatcher signals, but her crass cosplay doesn’t seem very convincing.

Truss tried to hit her Iron Lady notes after the England women’s team Euro 2022 victory, claiming she would “channel the spirit of our Lionesses” and beat Keir Starmer, whom she branded a “plastic patriot.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage makes a statement to the media at the party headquarters in Millbank, central London. Mr Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton, saying he will fight the forthcoming by-election, July 7, 2026
Politics / 24 July 2026
24 July 2026

A new generation of right-wing politicians have shifted from promoting deregulation to championing anti-migrant politics warns SOLOMON HUGHES

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a reception at number 10 Downing Street, Westminster, to thank NHS staff for the extraordinary work they do every day to care for patients and support the health of the nation, July 6, 2026
Voices of Scotland / 14 July 2026
14 July 2026

The PM leaves office having squandered Labour’s electoral mandate and alienated its grassroots. He will not be missed, writes BRIAN LEISHMAN MP

Robert Jenrick with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage at a Reform UK press conference in Westminster, London, where it was announced the former Conservative MP has joined Reform UK, January 15, 2026
Politics / 17 January 2026
17 January 2026

Once derided by Farage as a ‘fraud,’ Jenrick has defected to Reform, bringing experience and political ruthlessness to the populist right —  and raising the unsettling prospect of a Farage-led movement with a seasoned operative pulling the strings, says ANDREW MURRAY

SACRED SHROUDS: Thatcher’s old dresses on display at this year’s limp Tory conference, Manchester, October 5
Eyes Left / 15 October 2025
15 October 2025

The Tory conference was a pseudo-sacred affair, with devotees paying homage in front of Thatcher’s old shrouds — and your reporter, initially barred, only need mention he’d once met her to gain access. But would she consider what was on offer a worthy legacy, asks ANDREW MURRAY