FORMER prime minister Liz Truss is to be challenged by the Communist Party in her South-West Norfolk constituency in the general election, the party has announced.

Former housing and local government worker, and party executive member Lorraine Douglas will be the socialist standard-bearer against Ms Truss, who became Britain’s shortest-serving premier after outraging money markets and crashing the economy with unfunded tax cuts.

Ms Douglas said: “Liz Truss is a symbol of this decrepit and incompetent Tory regime who have foisted unelected prime minister after unelected prime minister on working people in Britain.

“I’m standing against Liz Truss to fight back against her right-wing rhetoric and her bankrupt Thatcherite economics which in less than two months caused so much harm — and to raise the flag for peace in the face of her rabid warmongering.”

Ms Douglas is among the first tranche of Communist candidates to be adopted for the July 4 poll, with more to be announced next week.

Darren Turner, the leader of the Toothless in England campaign around the crisis in NHS dentistry, will stand in Bury St Edmunds & Stowmarket.

Other seats where Communist contests are planned are Airdrie and Shotts and Edinburgh North in Scotland, Taunton Deane, Stoke South, Leicester South, Bury South, New Forest East, Hastings and Rye, St Albans, Kempston and Bedford and Newcastle East.

Many of these areas will not have seen a Communist general election candidate for decades, if ever.

 “The Communist Party will be contesting its highest number of Westminster seats for 40 years,” the party's general secretary Robert Griffiths said. 

“And our battle-cry will be: ‘Tories out — unite for workers’ rights, public ownership and peace’.”