UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Former PM Liz Truss warned Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is “unlikely to win” the next election, citing party failures and not ruling out joining Reform UK.
As reported by The Independent, Liz Truss said Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives are set for defeat, while refusing to rule out a return to frontline politics.
Liz Truss’s views on Kemi Badenoch’s election chances
Speaking on a podcast, Liz Truss warned that her party’s refusal to confront a “leftist establishment” means it faces defeat at the next election.
She told The Master Investor Podcast that she would “never rule out” returning to politics but declined to confirm if it would be with the Tories or Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Ms Truss has clashed with her successor-but-one, accusing Kemi Badenoch of “repeating spurious narratives” after she blamed her for the Conservatives’ record in office.
When asked if Nigel Farage was a stronger contender than Kemi Badenoch, Liz Truss replied,
“I think the way the Conservative Party is going, they’re unlikely to win the election.”
She stated,
“They’re not prepared to acknowledge what happened over the past 14 years and the failings to really take on what I would describe as the leftist establishment. So I don’t think she’s going to be prime minister at this stage.”
Pressed on whether she planned to join Reform UK, she avoided a direct answer, stressing
“What I am absolutely concerned to make happen is that the British state itself needs to change.”
Ms Truss said,
“It doesn’t matter who’s in No 10, if the same people are still in charge of the Treasury, the Office of Budget Responsibility, the Bank of England, the Supreme Court, it doesn’t matter.”
She did not rule out a return to frontline politics after losing her seat last year, stating,
“What I’ve always been obsessed with is I want Britain to be a great nation again, and I’m depressed about how far we’ve sunk, the dire state our economy is in, the de-industrialisation, the fact that we don’t make things the same way we used to.”
Ms Truss added,
“We are not a leader in many areas. I want to help fix that in any way I can.”
Responding to Ms Truss’s remarks, a senior Conservative figure said the party led by Kemi Badenoch is “not listening” to her.
The insider added,
“We are not listening to Liz Truss – she is not someone whose opinion we are listening to.”
Liz Truss’s stance on the mini-budget chaos
Liz Truss’s downfall began in 2022 when, alongside Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. She launched £45bn of unfunded tax cuts that sparked weeks of economic turmoil.
She said,
“The last time I looked, it’s the prime minister who is the democratically accountable person that runs the country, not the Bank of England… The Bank of England’s role is to work with the government to ensure financial stability, and they weren’t doing that. They were pursuing their own agenda.”
Ms Truss stated,
“The fact is I wasn’t captain of the ship because I wasn’t running monetary policy. The Bank of England were running monetary policy. I’m very happy to take responsibility for things, provided I have the full ability to actually control them. I didn’t have the ability to control them.”
The former prime minister criticised the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility, accusing them of briefing against her after the mini-budget.
She stated,
“My mistake, if you want to put it like that, was underestimating the sheer malevolence of the economic blob in Britain.”
Ms Truss added,
“There’s no doubt we’ve lost our way. But I think what is happening now in Britain is that people are now realising how bad the situation is. And I think there is going be massive pressure… for institutional change in this country, and that is what we need, in a similar way to Trump delivering the revolution in the US.”
What did Liz Truss warn about the UK’s future under Keir Starmer?
Liz Truss warned Britain was “heading for calamity” under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, arguing the economy is now in worse shape than during her premiership.
She accused Mr Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves of being part of the “economic orthodoxy,” which she claimed has ruined Britain and is leading it toward calamity.
Responding to Ms Truss’s remarks, a senior Conservative figure said the party led by Kemi Badenoch is “not listening” to her.
Key facts about Liz Truss’s mini-budget
The £45bn mini-budget on 23 Sept 2022 crashed the pound and spiked gilt yields. The Bank of England launched a £65bn rescue. Mr Kwarteng was sacked, and Ms Truss quit after 45 days.
The IMF criticised the plan, and most tax measures were quickly reversed. The event shifted UK policy towards fiscal conservatism.