49-day PM Liz Truss admits she never gets invited to London dinner parties

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Liz Truss rallied for lower taxes at the Popular Conservatism launch (Image: Getty Images)
Liz Truss rallied for lower taxes at the Popular Conservatism launch (Image: Getty Images)

Calamity former PM Liz Truss has launched a new Tory right-wing faction with a blistering attack on Tory colleagues she claims are "looking at their next job".

The 49-day Tory leader, who wrecked the economy in her brief spell in charge, said some MPs are more worried about being popular at dinner parties than doing what's right. Ms Truss then admitted she's not invited to these parties herself.

She went on to claim environmentalists and LGBTQ rights campaigners are "extremists" and repackaged Communists. At the same event former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson claimed only the "odd weirdo" raises green issues on the doorstep. Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage watched on as Tory rising star Mhairi Fraser, who recently described Donald Trump as "incredibly refreshing", lashed out at Rishi Sunak's proposed smoking ban.

Ms Truss's latest intervention comes despite a new poll showing she is the least popular major politician in the UK. Ranting about "wokeism", she told the audience: "Too many of our colleagues are looking at what jobs they get when they leave Parliament, they want to be popular at London dinner parties." She continued: "I never get invited to these parties."

49-day PM Liz Truss admits she never gets invited to London dinner parties qeithiqqziqhdinvFormer Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson claimed only the 'odd weirdo' raises environmental issues on doorsteps (Getty Images)

In a tirade about environmental and LGBT+ campaigners, the former PM said: "Conservatives have not taken on the left wing extremists. Now these people have repackaged themselves. They won't admit they're socialists or Communists anymore. They say they're environmentalists."

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She went on to include those "in favour of supporting LGBT people or groups of ethnic minorities" in this category. Ms Truss whined that decisions are made by "unaccountable" officials, while MPs can be booted out. "I myself have been at the sharp end of that, I can tell you we're accountable," she said.

The Popular Conservatives group has vowed to "fight back" as Tory popularity plummets. Ms Truss maintained: "Britain is full of secret Conservatives - people who agree with us but don't want to admit it because they think it's not acceptable in their place of work, it's not acceptable at their school"

She accused fellow Conservatives of trying to "appease the people", moaning: "Conservative cabinet ministers have met Greta Thunberg and asked her what she wanted. We have a Conservative Government legislating for self identification."

And Ms Truss, who was ousted by her own party after her disastrous mini-budget, went on: "It's difficult being a conservative at the moment, it's difficult to advocate for these policies."

49-day PM Liz Truss admits she never gets invited to London dinner partiesDame Priti Patel was among the Tory heavyweights in the audience (Getty Images)

Dozens of well-known Tories, including ex-Home Secretary Priti Patel, Lord David Frost, former Tory whip Wendy Morton, ex-deputy party chairman Brendan Clarke-Smith and Boris Johnson superfan Dame Andrea Jenkyns, packed into the room for the launch.

Ms Truss's remarks came after a survey showed she is the least popular major politician with a favourability rating of -54, which is even worse than Rishi Sunak's -27. Chris Hopkins, of pollster Savanta said: “It is ironic that Popular Conservatism couldn’t find a more unpopular spokesperson if they actively tried.”

Election candidate Ms Fraser branded the PM's smoking plan as "ludicrous" and drew applause from the audience as she said: "It's time to put nanny to bed."

And former deputy chairman Lee Anderson claimed Net Zero is only raised by the "odd weirdo" on the doorsteps. He said: "When I go to the pub, if I mention Cop28 they will say to me that's a lot of rich people, politicians, movie stars, celebrities flying into an exotic country in private jets to tell poor people they've got to pay for mistakes that they have made."

He went on to suggest that people should be able to "opt out" of paying green levys on their energy bills.

The PopCons join a crowded field of rightwing groups in Mr Sunak's deeply-divided Parliamentary party. These include the European Research Group, the Common Sense Group, the Conservative Growth Group, the Northern Research Group and New Conservatives.

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Among those present at yesterday's launch were Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage.

Dave Burke

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