Liz Truss has been out and about again trying to drum up publicity for her new book, Ten Years To Save The West.
And, to the surprise of absolutely no one, she has been saying more crazy stuff.
The former prime minister, who was only in office for 49 days, has previously sparked controversy by saying she was brought down by “the deep state” after her disastrous mini-Budget.
Truss has also faced criticism for hanging out with far-right former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon and for failing to challenge him when he described Tommy Robinson as a “hero”.
With her book set to hit the shelves later this week, she has given interviews to The Spectator, LBC and The Sun in a whirlwind PR blitz.
Here are the highlights (or should that be lowlights?) of what she had to say.
The Supreme Court Should Be Abolished
In perhaps her most eye-catching remarks, Truss told The Spectator that she would like to see the Supreme Court abolished as part of her war on the unelected officials she believes are holding Britain back.
She blamed the legal system for blocking the government’s attempts to get deportation flights to Rwanda off the ground.
“I can wish for a world where the Supreme Court no longer exists - and I do wish for that,” she said.
Truss’ comments are all the more surprising given that she was once Lord Chancellor - the country’s most senior legal official - when Theresa May was PM.
Rishi Sunak Was Wrong To Sack Lee Anderson
Defying the convention that ex-prime ministers should not comment on decisions taken by their successors, Truss has more than happy to wade into the Lee Anderson row in her interview with The Spectator.
Asked by editor Fraser Nelson if the Tories were wrong to remove the whip for the party’s former deputy chair over comments he made about Sadiq Khan.
Anderson has now defected to Reform UK and will stand for the party against the Tories at the general election.
Spectator editor Fraser Nelson asked Truss: “You launched the Popular Conservatives with Lee Anderson. Was it a mistake to kick him out of the party?”
Truss replied: “I think it would be better if he was still a member of the Conservative Party, yes.”
Refuses To Rule Out Another Tory Leadership Bid
Voters still traumatised by the experience of Truss being prime minister will be alarmed to discover that she hasn’t ruled out trying to do it all again.
She told LBC’s Iain Dale: “I have unfinished business, and I think the Conservative Party has unfinished business.”
Labour’s Jon Ashworth said: “The prospect of Liz Truss returning as Tory leader will send shivers down the spine of working people.”
Admits ‘Bugging’ Boris Johnson When He was In Hospital With Covid
Everyone remembers the shock the country experienced when then-prime minister Boris Johnson ended up in intensive care at the start of the Covid pandemic.
But his near-death experience was not enough to save him from being hassled by Truss, who was international trade secretary at the time.
She told LBC that she couldn’t wait until he was back on his feet to get his sign-off on a trade deal with America.
“I just bugged him continually,” Truss said. “Thank God Boris was OK after Covid, but I remember getting him to sign off the start of the American trade deal while he was still in hospital recovering after Covid,” she said.
Iain Dale asked her: “You were bugging him in hospital?”
Truss replied: “I know, that’s quite bad isn’t it? But I was determined to get things done.”
Ukraine Would Be Safer If Donald Trump Was President
Truss has spoken before of her admiration for Donald Trump and her desire for him to win the US election later this year.
But her claim that Ukraine would be safer if he was in the White House will surprise many, not least because his peace plan would see the country conceding territory to Russia.
“I think the world was safer when Trump was in charge,’ Truss told The Spectator. “When Trump was in office, he was more successful at dealing with the authoritarian regimes in the world, namely China, Russia and Iran.”
The Bank Of England Governor Should Be Out Of A Job
Continuing with her steadfast refusal to accept reality, Truss told LBC that she was blocked from pursuing her radical economic policies by “a group of people” in the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility.
She said: “They believe in the current economic model Britain has. They believe in the economic consensus.”
Asked directly whether Andrew Bailey should remain as Bank of England governor, the former PM said: “No, I don’t. I certainly think there should be a proper investigation into what happened in September 2022 [after her mini-Budget] and the actions the Bank of England took.”
That is an apparent reference to the Bank’s decision to bail out the UK’s pensions industry, which was on the brink of collapse after the financial markets went into meltdown.
The Last Words The Queen Said To Her
In a major breach of protocol, Truss told The Sun what the Queen’s final words to her following her one and only audience with the late monarch.
Truss flew to Balmoral to ‘kiss hands’ and formally become PM, and apparently enjoyed a detailed conversation about politics with Her Majesty.
“She talked a lot about all of the issues that were going on, all of the issues in the PM’s inbox,” Truss said.
“She was amazingly across absolutely everything that was going on.
“When our meeting ended and she said ‘I’ll see you again next week’. I absolutely thought that would happen.”
However, the Queen died just two days later.