Liz Truss’s history of backtracking has been laid bare during an inquisition by broadcaster Kay Burley.
During a Sky News debate, Truss and rival Rishi Sunak were quizzed by an audience of Tory party members, as well as the host Burley.
At the end of the section with Truss, who argued a recession was not inevitable on the day the Bank of England made its grim economic prognosis, Burley offered a brutal final question.
She asked Truss: ”You were a remainer, and now you’re not.
“You supported Brits to fight in Ukraine, then you didn’t
“You wanted to build on the greenbelt, now you don’t
“You wanted to abolish the monarchy, and now you don’t.
“You wanted to arm Taiwan, now I’m not sure if you are saying you do or don’t.
(Truss interjected: “We do provide them in that case.”)
“You wanted to cut civil servants pay in the regions, and then you said you didn’t.
“Will the real Liz Truss please stand up?”
Earlier, Truss was reminded that in 2019 she said: “We need to build a million homes on the London green belt.” When asked if she still wants to, she said: “What I don’t want to do, Kay, is build it on the green belt.”
This week, she dropped a controversial regional pay boards policy – and with Burley resisted admitting that announcing it was a mistake.
She also this week raised eyebrows when she told a Tory leadership hustings in Cardiff: “On the subject of the remain vote ... yes, I was unsure at the time. I was pretty much on the fence.” The claim flies in the face of what she said in the run-up to the 2016 vote.
Her former anti-monarchy position has now become infamous thanks to viral footage of her as student Lib Dem activist.
In reply to Burley, she said: “I am somebody who didn’t come from a traditional conservative background.
“My first political experience was going on a CND march with my mother, age seven. Then as a teenager, I joined the Liberal Democrats. I’m not sure how much I should be held to account for things I said when I was 18 or 19.
“But I’ve always had a belief that we can be a more successful country, that people should be able to control their own lives, I have always believed in the principle of freedom. I’ve always believed in low taxation. Yes, my views on other issues have developed over time.
“But show me somebody who has the same views at 19 and 49, and I’ll show you somebody is not capable of original thought.”
Sunak did not escape tricky Burley questioning,
She suggested that people are saying “you can’t walk a mile in their shoes in your Prada ones” – a reference the £450 pair of loafers the ex-chancellor has worn on the campaign trail.
“I think the British people judge people by their character and their actions, not by their bank account,” he replied.