Half-truths and evasions as Truss searches for an encore

When someone does something strange or just plain inexplicable, it’s usually a good idea to try to put yourself in their place.

- SEAN O'GRADY

So it is with Liz Truss and her rather audacious but unconvincing attempt to explain away her short, nasty and brutish premiership.

She was a disaster. She knows it. We know it. Most of her party know it. There won’t be a comeback. It’s an absurd proposition. Even the rumour that she thinks she’s got half a hope” leading the Tories in opposition may be discounted; the Tories are stupid, but they’re not that stupid.

If they want a disaster back then they can get Boris Johnson, who does it much better. Anyone remember how painfully bad she was at interviews? At speech-making? Thinking on her feet? It was painful to watch.

Her position is hopeless, but she cannot possibly admit that, to herself or anyone else. It is simply too gruesome, too terrifying, too depressing a fact. In a way, you can’t blame her for trying to rewrite history. She isn’t the first.

You see there is only one central fact about Truss that you have to try to imagine yourself into. She is 47 years of age. And she’s already been prime minister. What do you do for an encore? What do you do with the rest of your life? Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

Most of our prime ministers were years away from No 10 at the age of 47. Margaret Thatcher was 53, as was Lloyd George. Churchill was 65. Even the younger ones Cameron, Blair, Major, Wilson did a decent stint and were duly seasoned by the time they left office. Their futures wrote themselves. They didn’t need to make a comeback. Truss was 47 when she became PM and also 47 when she left office.

If you’re 47 and you’ve already done the top job, what do you do for an encore? She’s a backbench MP, and she is getting restless. However, the very fact that she’s an ex-PM and a not very accomplished one at that actually narrows her future options. Considerably.