Sniping Critics Hate That Truss Has Will To Win For Britain

‘The PM has confounded her enemies by her flying start’

- Leo McKinstry

The political challenge presented by the fallout from the 2008 Financial Crash was immense. Mervyn King, then the Governor of the Bank of England, said in early 2010 that “whoever wins the next election will be out of power for a generation” because of the severe cuts needed to tackle the deficit.

But King, usually a man of astute judgment, was mistaken. Having won the 2010 election, the Tories have been in office ever since. This week, in another reflection of their dominance, the Conservatives elected Liz Truss to be their fourth Prime Minister in succession. Once again, just as in 2010, the same gloomy language can be heard about the grim nature of her inheritance, which many predict will lead to a short-lived, failing premiership. According to this pessimistic narrative, Truss will be overwhelmed by a series of crises, led by the unaffordable cost of energy.

"I am crucified to my place and it is damnable," wailed the Liberal Prime Minister Lord Rosebery in 1895 as he was engulfed by problems. That could be the fate of Truss, claim her detractors. The belief that she will soon be facing a nightmare is compounded by the idea that she is not up to the job. Ever since she became the front-runner for the Tory leadership, she has been subjected to a relentless campaign of character assassination, laced with snobbery and misogyny.