Truss has thrown red meat to Tory members – but the public has rather different tastes

‘Liz Truss believes that low tax is a key policy for the Conservative party and critical to its electoral message.’ Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA

I recently asked a Tory grandee what they had learned from living through five Conservative leadership elections. The reply: “Always focus on the electorate in front of you.” The point being that in a contest where only the party membership has a say, it’s best not to get distracted and start to look at wooing the wider public. Instead, keep your eyes on the prize.

It’s a lesson Liz Truss appears to have taken to heart. As the Conservative leadership contest rattles on for another fortnight, most MPs have concluded the race is all but over. Barring a spectacular polling error, the foreign secretary will be the next prime minister. The path that has taken her there has involved a rigid focus on winning over the membership – estimated at about 160,000.