The current frontrunner in the race to be PM is pursuing reckless politics in the Johnsonian style
As her opponent in the race to become prime minister has not infrequently pointed out, Liz Truss voted remain. To Rishi Sunak’s chagrin, this heretical past (and an earlier disreputable association with the Lib Dems) has failed to unduly disconcert Conservative party members. Ms Truss has confessed to error and now pursues the ever elusive benefits of Brexit with the zeal of a convert. Unfortunately for the former chancellor, who needs to come from behind in the polls, the transformation appears plausible because Ms Truss’s political style – if not her past policies – gels naturally with the disruptive vibe of Vote Leave.
This week, this “move fast and break things” approach arguably led to Ms Truss’s first major misstep of the leadership contest. An ill thought out but radical sounding policy to slash civil service wages outside London was withdrawn within hours, after a predictably furious response from “red wall” Tories. But if Mr Sunak fails to capitalise on the moment, it will confirm the continued hegemony of what one might call the “insurgent style” in British politics.
