Liz Truss

Conservative leadership frontrunner Liz Truss been criticised after she said British workers needed 'more graft' in a leaked audio recording.

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George Eustice says rival Rishi Sunak has made clear there will be no compromise on welfare standards.

“Whoever wins this, we have to make sure that when we get into the next election we are owning this agenda. I don’t think a concern about doing so is inconsistent with the ambition to expand the use of solar power.” Sunak has also committed to maintaining the legally binding net zero target. There is an issue about the use of productive farmland for the generation of solar power. He simply couldn’t even give a quote for a dusty old government press release when the “It is fair to say there were some challenges I had in getting Liz Truss to recognise the importance of animal welfare in particular and that we should reflect it in trade agreements.”

The Tory leadership favourite Liz Truss has come under fire for suggesting British workers are lazy, in comments she made in a leaked audio recording.

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The former health secretary said those in the NHS 'could not be working any harder than they do, day in day out.'

The people I work with could not be working any harder than they do, day in day out. “There’s a slight thing in Britain about wanting the easy answers. It’s not a popular message.” That’s my reflection on the election and what’s gone before it, and the referendum — we say it’s all Europe that’s causing these huge problems…it’s all these migrants causing these problems. But I don’t think people are that keen to change that. [ Guardian unearthed a leaked recording](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/16/leaked-audio-reveals-liz-truss-said-british-workers-needed-more-graft) in which she hinted that workers outside London lacked the “mindset and attitude” of those in the capital.

Former Chancellor Sajid Javid has defended Conservative leadership contender to be the next prime minister Liz Truss's "hard graft" comments that were...

"People will be worried and Liz is going to be the right person to deal with this." The increase, which beat expectation, was largely down to a rise in the cost of food and staples including toilet rolls and toothbrushes, the ONS said, and is the biggest “I think what she's talking about is business and investment, because to increase productivity the government of course has a huge role to play – things like capital investment, things like infrastructure, investment,” he added. Javid told Sky News he believed the foreign secretary was helping to point out that “productivity in the UK versus other comparable countries is generally lower, and there's been a long-standing UK problem”. [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/16/leaked-audio-reveals-liz-truss-said-british-workers-needed-more-graft), Truss – who was a Treasury minister at the time – describes "a fundamental issue of British working culture," and is heard saying she does not believe "people are that keen to change that" in order to create more productivity. Arguing that the country does have a longstanding productivity problem, Javid, who is backing Truss to become the next prime minister, shrugged off criticism of the controversial leaked recording, which Labour has called "grossly offensive”.

LIZ TRUSS has vowed to use Brexit Britain's 'muscle' to secure the 'best possible deal for our fishermen'.

She said: "I have a plan for growth for the UK. Ms Truss drew applause from the crowd as she promised to "back our fishermen" after fishing proved to be a major sticking point in Brexit negotiations. "And I will get the next generation of trade deals that deliver even more for fantastic industries across Scotland like the salmon industry, like the whiskey industry, like our fantastic farmers."

The Tory leadership contenders are due to make their pitch to Conservative members in Belfast.

Mr Sunak emphasised the need for politicians to focus on rising energy costs rather than indyref2, which he described as “barmy”. “But we do need to resolve the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, because at the moment what the protocol is causing is, it is causing a feeling of unfairness between the two communities in Northern Ireland because it is very hard. Ms Truss’s comments come as she and her rival Rishi Sunak are set to travel to Belfast on Wednesday for another leadership hustings with Conservative members.

The Tory leadership frontrunner said in audio from five years ago that those outside London were less likely to be hard workers and there was little desire ...

"That's my reflection on the election and what's gone before it, and the referendum - we say it's all Europe that's causing these huge problems, it's all these migrants causing these problems. "There's a fundamental issue of British working culture. The audio emerged just moments before she appeared at a hustings in Scotland alongside her rival, Rishi Sunak. It's not a popular message." If you go to China it's quite different, I can assure you. and of course have that safety net for those people who need it most. "Essentially, it's partly a mindset and attitude thing, I think. She told the audience of Scottish Tory members she was a "child of the Union" as she tried to attract their votes. Ms Truss, asked about the leaked recording at a hustings in Scotland on Tuesday evening, avoided addressing her language but said "we need more productivity and more economic growth" and said she wants to "unleash those opportunities" that were voted for in 2019. A leaked audio recording has revealed Liz Truss said British workers needed "more graft" and lacked the "skill and application" of foreign rivals. She said British workers as a whole also lacked the "skill and application" of foreign rivals, specifically those in China. In response to the audio being leaked, a source from her team told Sky News: "These half-a-decade-old comments lack context but one thing that is as clear today as ever before is a need to boost productivity, which leads to higher wages and a better quality of life for workers right across the UK.

Conservative members have been watching them go head-to-head in hustings up and down the country for several weeks, but there are more debates to come.

[Here’s everything you need to know](https://inews.co.uk/opinion/liz-truss-rishi-sunak-next-prime-minister-economic-pain-1793089?ico=in-line_link) about it. The vote will close at 5pm on 2 September and the result is expected to be announced on 5 September. It will then be up to Conservative members – which numbered 160,000 during the last Tory leadership election – to pick the leader and the next prime minister. It will ask for a donation to the Conservative Party and you will then receive a confirmation email with your instructions. [Foreign Secretary Liz Truss may be the favourite](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/polling-suggests-rishi-sunak-closer-liz-truss-tory-leader-1794652?ico=in-line_link) to become the next prime minister, but the competition isn’t over yet, and [ Rishi Sunak](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/blue-wall-tories-winning-back-liberal-voters-key-to-keeping-seats-pm-truss-scupper-1793917?ico=in-line_link) will be hoping to close that gap. [attempt to convince Northern Irish Conservative voters to pick them](https://inews.co.uk/news/scotland/tory-leadership-poll-boost-for-independence-as-liz-truss-and-rishi-sunak-head-to-scotland-1797088?ico=in-line_link) in the ballot.

Tory leadership frontrunner Liz Truss visited a Dundee hotel following a lively Conservative debate in Perth.

Broadcaster Matthew Wright has slammed Liz Truss after claiming Brits are 'lazy' workers in a newly leaked audio recording.

‘But actually what needs to happen is more … more graft. That’s my reflection on the election and what’s gone before it, and the referendum – we say it’s all Europe that’s causing these huge problems … it’s all these migrants causing these problems. But I don’t think people are that keen to change that. [currently on his second holiday of the month](https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/15/boris-johnson-spotted-on-second-holiday-as-energy-bill-crisis-spirals-17182693/), and blasted the remarks.

Tory leadership frontrunner has said British workers needed 'more graft' and they lacked 'skill and application' of workers from other countries.

The Tory party has consistently sought to undermine employment rights and deny pay rises that are in line with the cost of living. The disparity that needs addressing is between her myopic view of what constitutes ‘work’, which is shaped by vacuous capitalist rhetoric, and reality. “I find it deeply offensive to say we need more graft, especially at a time of high inflation, low wage increases and a general cost of living crisis. “Where I feel my agreement with Truss ends is her apparent belief that such mindsets/attitudes should be propagated or even mandated across the entirety of British society. “I would agree that French workers are more productive, but that’s because they work shorter hours, have more bank holidays and annual leave, have better health care and generally more freedom. I live in the north, and workers here have a can-do attitude, though they would welcome more funding for better transport and training.

“It's not a popular message.” Of all the things Liz Truss said about British workers not putting in enough “graft”, that was perhaps the most accurate.

Of all the over-50s we are told have withdrawn from the workforce and become “economically inactive”, (a category of worker Truss today said needed to be “encouraged” to work) he’s the oddest example. The answers involve more investment in education and lifelong skills, in research and development, in better IT systems (in public services too), a higher minimum wage, more effective job centres and a recognition that management is a valuable skill like any other (in devising more efficient ways of working). “We were having a few beers and he was talking about the auto industry in the 80s. She may well also be hoping her remarks about Brits’ lack of graft are a summer squall that everyone forgets. Higher productivity is vital to getting the growth on which our economy relies (and which in turn funds public services). Yet even that would be difficult, as the tape makes clear she thinks the lack of a grafting workforce is “a fundamental issue of British working culture”. That was a reference to Britannia Unchained, which had the infamous line that “the British are among the worst idlers in the world”. Only the other week, Truss declared “Dominic Raab wrote that chapter”, yet here she is defending and expanding on it. On the tape, Truss even admits: “I once wrote a book about this which got mischaracterised”. There is an audience for that message, though not if you’re arguing the hard workers are only in London, which happens to have lots of migrants. and that’s a combination of kind of skill and application,” she said. Offering her “reflection” on the 2016 referendum, Truss ridiculed those who “say it’s all Europe that’s causing these huge problems…

Ms Truss was asked if she would abolish abortion in Northern Ireland during a hustings events on the outskirts of Belfast.

Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak both set out their cases to be the next leader of the Conservative Party – and the next prime minister – to party members in Northern Ireland on Wednesday. During a Conservative Party leadership hustings event at the Culloden Hotel on the outskirts of Belfast, Ms Truss was asked if she would abolish abortion in Northern Ireland, “ending infanticide”, or let the people of the region have their say on the issue. Abortion laws in the region were liberalised in 2019 in laws passed by Westminster at a time when the power-sharing government at Stormont had collapsed.

There are four more Conservative leadership hustings to go before the winner of the contest, and the next prime minister, is announced on 5 September.

My plan is the right plan." That is not the right plan. But with some help for everyone," he said. We are a United Kingdom and we need all our laws to apply across the United Kingdom. [Ms Truss](https://news.sky.com/story/liz-truss-said-british-workers-needed-more-graft-and-lacked-skill-of-foreign-rivals-leaked-audio-reveals-12674648) said: "I'm afraid I don't agree with you. "He delivered on Brexit, he delivered on the COVID vaccine and he delivered on standing up to Vladimir Putin and backing the Ukrainians and I'm proud of what he did." Ms Truss once again referred to herself as a "child of the Union" and told the audience she thinks of the Union as a "family" that she never wants to split up. "It is clear that the operation of the protocol, as it's currently being enacted, is putting that position at risk - and I will do everything I can as prime minister to fix that," he said. "And as we make progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill we will see power-sharing re-established in Northern Ireland, and as well the Belfast Good Friday Agreement re-established." She added that the protocol is causing "unfairness" in Northern Ireland, and warned: "Until we sort the issue of the NI Protocol, we're not going to get Stormont back up and running. He later added: "That is the right thing for them and their families because there is enormous dignity in work and it is fair to everyone, to people who are paying their taxes, who would rightly expect that to be happening." Liz Truss rejected a plea to restore the abortion ban in Northern Ireland while Rishi Sunak vowed to be "much tougher" on the benefits system in the latest Conservative Party hustings in Belfast.

The Foreign Secretary also said she would not accept any compromises on a renegotiated Northern Ireland Protocol as prime minister if it meant key UK demands ...

But the Bill will continue to go through Parliament and I want to get that Bill through,” she added. In order to make those changes on tax and on customs, they need to agree to change the tax. “I will be privileged and proud to be a prime minister of the entire UK and that means ensuring Northern Ireland’s place in the UK and as is currently being implemented the protocol is not making that possible and it needs to be fixed.” [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) “My plan is the same as Liz’s plan, which is to push on and pass the Bill that is in Parliament, and I’m confident that that’s the right way to resolve the situation, and people should be in no doubt that under my premiership that Bill would continue to make its way through Parliament and become law.” “I think actually both Liz and I are supporting the same Bill that is in Parliament, that we both support and so in that sense there isn’t a difference between us,” he said during his visit to the Northern Ireland capital. “So, I will be asking them to get back around the table and form a government.” “I want to see the parties in Northern Ireland reform a government here,” she said. She emphasised the need to make sure “UK courts are the ultimate arbiter”, that east-west trade is “free flowing”, and that people in Northern Ireland “can benefit from the tax benefits delivered by the UK Government”. Ms Truss also said she is “absolutely determined” to resolve the issues facing Northern Ireland, particularly on customs, while “making sure” people in Northern Ireland can benefit from the same tax breaks as people in Great Britain. “And as we make progress on the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill we will see powersharing re-established in Northern Ireland, and as well the Belfast Good Friday Agreement re-established.” “And I’ve been in discussions with all of the parties in Northern Ireland, I’m determined to make it happen,” Ms Truss said.

LIZ Truss will look to rebrand Scottish independence as “separatism” in an effort to paint the movement in a negative light, reports say.

On the reports that Truss would attempt to rebrand the Yes movement as “separatists”, Whitford went on: “They focus on ‘separatism’, but actually it’s about self-determination and self-agency. [Westminster](https://www.thenational.scot/politics/westminster/) or to push forward to independence.” [SNP](https://www.thenational.scot/politics/snp/) MP Philippa Whitford told The National: “It absolutely makes sense.” [according to the report in the i](https://inews.co.uk/opinion/prime-minister-truss-could-be-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-union-1799250). [independence](https://www.thenational.scot/news/scottish-independence/) as “separatism” in an effort to paint the movement in a negative light, reports say. [Nicola Sturgeon: Liz Truss only wanted to talk to me about getting into Vogue](https://www.thenational.scot/news/20616796.nicola-sturgeon-liz-truss-wanted-talk-getting-vogue/)

In a hustings in Belfast, the foreign secretary was also challenged over her loyalty to Boris Johnson, who a member said, had "continually lied" to ...

"That's not a plan that I think is right for our country. For a pensioner, who is not working, that tax cut is worth precisely zero. "We are a United Kingdom and we need all of our laws to apply right across the United Kingdom. [Brexit](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/brexit), and his support for the Ukranian people during Russia's brutal invasion. What are you going to do?" For someone working really hard on a national living wage, in the care sector, that tax cut is worth about a £1 a week.

Editorial: A leaked recording reveals that the favourite to be the next prime minister has little grasp of the nation's economic reality.

It is the “mindset” of Ms Truss, not the British worker, that the country truly needs to be worried about. A leaked recording of Ms Truss in illuminating conversation, [published](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/16/leaked-audio-reveals-liz-truss-said-british-workers-needed-more-graft) by the Guardian this week, confirms that “idle” is precisely what she believes British workers to be. But that is due to governments since the 1980s placing all bets on a financialised, service-based economy, with the City of London at its heart. It is true that London is, to an unhealthy degree, more productive than the rest of the country. Speaking privately when chief secretary to the Treasury – a post she held between 2017 and 2019 – Ms Truss deplores the “mindset and attitude” of workers outside London. British workers, it asserted, are among the “worst idlers in the world”.

The No 10 hopeful can be heard making the claim in a leaked audio recording obtained by The Guardian. | ITV National News.

She added there was a “slight thing in Britain about wanting the easy answers," before saying: “But actually what needs to happen is more... But I don’t think people are that keen to change that," she goes on. “The thing that we don’t have enough of is capital investment and that is why it is so important that we get businesses investing, whether it is in the oil and gas industry, whether it is in the whisky industry.” It’s not a popular message.” Asked about the remarks at the Tory leadership hustings in Perth on Tuesday, Ms Truss said: “I don’t know what you are quoting there but the points that I have always made is what we need in this country is more productivity across the country and we need more economic growth. “There’s a fundamental issue of British working culture," Ms Truss can be heard saying in the recording, which was made when she was a minister at the Treasury.

Never let it be said that the Conservative Party lacks a sense of priority. As the drought-stricken nation spirals towards a Weimaresque economic meltdown, ...

Might be a bit of a non-starter this one, as I suspect that both candidates will turn out to be Trekkies… On the other hand, he’s getting a bit self-conscious about how fabulously wealthy he is and as such might not wish to be associated with “gold”. The “selectorate” to whom the two candidates are trying to appeal is a pretty narrow bunch, demographically speaking, and as such one might expect them to (pretend to) fixate on some fairly niche topics.

Liz Truss Britains likely next Prime Minister wears a dark blue suit and walks along a. Liz Truss, the U.K.'s Foreign Secretary, arrives for a weekly meeting of ...

At the end of 2021, Sunak was the most popular politician in the country—with a higher approval rating than either Johnson or Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party—and the bookies’ favorite to become the next Prime Minister. In 2012, she was a co-author of “Britannia Unchained,” which argued that British workers “are among the worst idlers in the world” and the country was held back by a bloated state and excessive regulation. “We are currently in that position where we are watching the beds in European hospitals and doing nothing about it.” Around a quarter of families already owe more than two hundred pounds to their electricity providers, according to Uswitch, a price-comparison Web site, and that is before the next price rise has come into effect. But he appears to have been fatally punctured as a candidate, among the Conservative Party base, at least, by his perceived disloyalty to Johnson and his own extreme metropolitan tendencies. “As a straight-talking Yorkshirewoman, I know that a woman is a woman,” Truss told a party hustings in Darlington last week. [Brexit](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/25/the-magical-thinking-around-brexit) before fervently coming round to the idea. More than six and a half million people (that’s the equivalent of around fifty Conservative Parties) are currently on waiting lists for hospital treatment, an increase of fifty per cent on pre-pandemic levels. comes from rising energy prices, which are largely a consequence of the The mass resignations that led to [his downfall](https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/boris-johnsons-government-is-collapsing-in-on-itself) in July mean that there is barely a functioning government, let alone a plan to address the crisis, or any authority to deliver it. [has been baking](https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-uk/britain-unravels-in-a-heat-wave) and listless in the main, weeks of bright, wan sunshine, unbroken by rain or any particular hope. In July, southern England received a thimble’s worth of rain—a shade over a centimetre—the least since records began, in 1836. [Boris Johnson](https://www.newyorker.com/tag/boris-johnson), in character to the last, is spending his final weeks as Prime Minister in decompression mode: throwing a wedding party, vacationing in Slovenia and Greece.

The Tory leadership candidate has been on the campaign trail and telling Conservative Party members all about her upbringing as she attempts to woo voters.

She has previously called herself a “child of the union” in reference to her time spent living in Scotland and England. Ms Truss called the union a “family”, adding that she would “never, ever” allow it to be broken up. Ms Truss has refused to back down from the comments, insisting that she would not allow a second referendum to be held if she were to become Prime Minister. Ms Truss said that her time at Roundhay School in Leeds in her teenage years influenced her in politics however, her claims about her school experience have been disputed by former pupils who attended the school at the same time as her. She also told the Perth hustings audience she used to have a strong Scottish accent, before she moved to Leeds in her high school years. “I didn’t even vote for myself, even at that age, we knew it was simply unpopular to be a Tory in the west of Scotland.”

The Nobel laureate indicated his support for the frontrunner before he died last month at the age of 77 following an illness.

But said it would be “essential if we are to restore our political institutions in Northern Ireland and if we are to show the European Union that we will do whatever it takes to deliver the right solution for the UK”. “It will not be easy, but the alternative is a continued political impasse in Northern Ireland, ongoing disillusion of the Unionist community, and ultimately a breakdown of the fabric of our United Kingdom.” Writing in the Telegraph newspaper published on Thursday Lady Trimble said she believed Ms Truss has the “best record and a viable plan” to protect the Union.

The Tory leadership contenders are due to make their pitch to Conservative members in Belfast.

Mr Sunak emphasised the need for politicians to focus on rising energy costs rather than indyref2, which he described as “barmy”. “But we do need to resolve the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, because at the moment what the protocol is causing is, it is causing a feeling of unfairness between the two communities in Northern Ireland because it is very hard. Ms Truss’s comments come as she and her rival Rishi Sunak are set to travel to Belfast on Wednesday for another leadership hustings with Conservative members.

Institute for Fiscal Studies criticises Tory leadership contenders for failing to be upfront about economic crisis.

That makes tax and spending decisions all the more difficult,” said Carl Emmerson, the IFS’s deputy director. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. [higher than expected inflation](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/inflation-meaning-definition-explained-b2146719.html) will force the Treasury to spend an extra £23bn on benefits and debt interest next year – even before any extra help to curb energy bills and prop up public services. [Liz Truss](/topic/liz-truss) and [Rishi Sunak](/topic/rishi-sunak) in [their battle for No 10](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-leadership-sunak-truss-energy-b2146889.html) are unrealistic without big spending cuts as inflation soars, economists are warning.

Kit Malthouse claimed 'we've had a productivity issue in this country for some time' as he defended the Foreign Secretary's words. Ms Truss faced calls to ...

[Kit Malthouse](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/kit-malthouse), Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster defended the Foreign Secretary's words, claiming "we've had a productivity issue in this country for some time." [Liberal Democrats](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/liberal-democrats) have written to Business Secretary [Kwasi Kwarteng](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/kwasi-kwarteng) challenging him to denounce Ms Truss’s comments about British workers. [Liz Truss](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/liz-truss) was talking about is can we improve productivity in the United Kingdom?” [Nadhim Zahawi](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/nadhim-zahawi) highlighted the potential for higher productivity to fund more public service roles. [Sajid Javid](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/sajid-javid-mp), who is also backing Ms Truss's campaign, said “productivity in the UK versus other comparable countries is generally lower and that’s been a longstanding UK problem”. [Liz Truss](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/liz-truss) 's words - suggesting British workers "could try harder".

The Nobel laureate indicated his support for the frontrunner before he died last month at the age of 77 following an illness.

But said it would be “essential if we are to restore our political institutions in Northern Ireland and if we are to show the European Union that we will do whatever it takes to deliver the right solution for the UK”. “It will not be easy, but the alternative is a continued political impasse in Northern Ireland, ongoing disillusion of the Unionist community, and ultimately a breakdown of the fabric of our United Kingdom.” Writing in the Telegraph newspaper published on Thursday Lady Trimble said she believed Ms Truss has the “best record and a viable plan” to protect the Union.

Yvetter Cooper slammed the leaked comments from the Tory hopeful as revealing what Liz Truss really thinks about most Britons.

Cooper said: “I think it reveals what she really thinks. But I don’t think people are that keen to change that.” Truss supporter, Sajid Javid mounted a defence of the leaked comments, saying British workers are “the most hardworking in the world” The former UK Health Secretary said he did not know the “context” in which Truss’s comments were made but that the problem lay with poor “productivity” rather than with the workforce.

A survey run on the ConservativeHome website shows Liz Truss is ahead of Rishi Sunak by 32 points. Of the 961 Tory members polled, 60% said they wanted Ms ...

You can read more about our [team of experts here.](https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/meet-cost-living-experts-here-26123954) That makes tax and spending decisions all the more difficult. “It is hard to square the promises that both Ms Truss and Mr Sunak are making to cut taxes over the medium term with the absence of any specific measures to cut public spending and a presumed desire to manage the nation’s finances responsibly.” That is what being a union is." A Truss campaign source, discussing the warning from the IFS, said that as prime minister, Ms Truss “would use an emergency budget to kickstart her plan to get our economy growing and put more money into the pockets of hardworking people”. [Cost of Living](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/cost-of-living-were-here-to-help) team of experts are here to help YOU through a very difficult year. Ms Truss said: "It might take time to get this Bill through the House of Lords, but the sooner we start, the sooner we will finish, and I am determined to get it done as quickly as possible.” Stormont is in paralysis due to a breakdown of relations over the Northern Ireland protocol - a key part of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. She said UK courts must be “the ultimate arbiter" of a deal, east-west trade must be "free flowing" and people in Northern Ireland "can benefit from the tax benefits delivered by the UK Government" before she will sign off a new arrangement. "We are a United Kingdom and we need all of our laws to apply right across the United Kingdom. In 2019 MPs at Westminster voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of legalising abortion in Northern Ireland at a time when power-sharing talks had failed to restore the devolved executive. A survey run on the ConservativeHome website, known to some as the ‘Tory Bible’, shows the Foreign Secretary is ahead of

The gap between the two candidates to replace Boris Johnson has narrowed, but Liz Truss is set to win by a long way - however Conservative members still ...

Another challenging area for Ms Truss if she enters government is evident in the poll over the issue of economic support to help with the cost of living crisis. The poll found that 40% of Tory members believe a Truss victory would result in a hung parliament or a Labour majority, with worse numbers for Mr Sunak. If Mr Johnson was still in the contest alongside Mr Sunak and Ms Truss, 46% would vote for Mr Johnson, 24% for Ms Truss and 23% for Mr Sunak. Similarly, 44% say that Mr Johnson would make the best prime minister, 24% Ms Truss and 23% Mr Sunak, and twice as many Tory members think Mr Johnson would beat Sir Keir Starmer in an election. The poll also shows that the legacy and personality of Boris Johnson is likely to loom large over the next prime minister as there is huge regret among Tory members over the decision to oust him in July. The poll makes clear that the incumbent prime minister is still held in high affection among Tory members and any successor could be unfavourably compared to him by Tory members.

Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), criticised the Tory leadership frontrunner for “lecturing” people to work harder while ...

He said: “I think there are lots of people in the British economy work[ing] extremely hard. This time she is not only telling the north that we aren’t good enough, but everyone in Britain.” Gary Smith, leader of the GMB union, said: “Liz Truss thinking UK workers need ‘more graft’ shows just how out of touch she is. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, said: “Liz Truss has exposed her real views on workers in Britain. It shows how disconnected from the real lives of working people she is. However, O’Grady told the Guardian: “British workers put in the longest working hours in Europe.

In a blow to Liz Truss's campaign promise of widespread lower taxes, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said 'permanent tax cuts' would exacerbate high ...

Additional borrowing in the short term is not necessarily problematic – and indeed may be appropriate to fund targeted support.” That makes tax and spending decisions all the more difficult,” IFS deputy director Carl Emmerson said. “Rishi has consistently made the case that permanent, unfunded tax cuts would cause significant damage to the public finances and push inflation up higher,” they said. And the “reality” is that soaring inflation will mean “significant spending increases are likely to be needed” to pay for benefits, pensions and debt interest. [pledges made by Ms Truss ](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/uk-launches-legal-dispute-with-eu-over-post-brexit-access-to-science-programmes-1799016?ico=in-line_link)and her [rival Rishi Sunak – who has also promised lesser tax cuts.](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-running-out-of-time-to-close-gap-with-liz-truss-as-latest-poll-puts-her-32-points-ahead-1800682?ico=in-line_link) [In a blow to Liz Truss’s campaign promise of widespread lower taxes,](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tory-leadership-liz-trusss-irresponsible-cost-of-living-plan-means-50bn-borrowing-rishi-sunak-says-1800388?ico=in-line_link) the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said “permanent tax cuts” would exacerbate high pressure on public finances unless it is matched with spending cuts.

The Environment Secretary and Cornwall MP has questioned Liz Truss' commitment to animal welfare in international trade deals.

I (have) incredible anxiety about what the Government would look like in those terms." I think that would be a disaster for all of the issues that we've talked about. And there have been many times, particularly over the last year or maybe two years, where I have had to really fight back against efforts from the Treasury to significantly trim the international nature budget. I simply couldn't even get a quote from him for a dusty old Government press release when the Dasgupta review was launched." He said: "I worry about what a Rishi administration would look like. The Dasgupta review looked at the economics of biodiversity.