Tenacious Truss Has Qualities We Need In This Dark Hour

WHEN Churchill Prime May B Winston became Minister in 1940, the embittered Tory Rab Butler described his elevation as "a serious disaster" which would destroy "the good clean tradition of British politics".

- Leo McKinstry

Butler could not have been more wrong. Churchill turned out to be the saviour of both our country and democracy.

But today, similar predictions of doom can be heard about Liz Truss, who looks almost certain to be declared the winner of the Conservative leadership contest. Those warnings come not just from opponents but also from her own party. "I think she is going to have the most disastrous two years," says one of her senior MPs.

These bleak forecasts are based partly on the grim economic outlook. Not since the Second World War has an incoming PM had a more difficult inheritance. But the anxiety about her premiership also reflects concerns that Truss may not be up to the demands of the job. To her critics, she is lacking in judgement and convictions, while her towering ambition is said to be unmatched by her limited intellect.

UT once again, the detractors could be badly mistaken. Truss may prove to be exactly the leader Britain needs at this dark hour. Far from overwhelming her, the pressures of her position could be the making of her, as her qualities of determination, tenacity and resilience enable her to rise to the challenge.