During the Tory leadership contest, a recording that captured Liz Truss complaining that British workers lacked “skill and application” and needed “more graft” was leaked. This is the same Liz Truss who, just one month into her premiership, plunged the pound to an all-time low, forced the Bank of England into a £65bn intervention, and pushed the UK to the brink of a recession.
According to Truss, it was the performance of Kwasi Kwarteng, her then chancellor – and him alone – that was found wanting. She sacked him for implementing her own leadership pledges. Time will tell whether this is enough to save her career, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find an example of someone making a worse start to a new job and passing their probation.
