The more Conservative voters see of Liz Truss the less they like her.
And that is a major reason for Keir Starmer being the bookies’ odds-on favourite to replace her in No10 when we have a general election.
Doubters and critics are likely to have grown in number after her lack-lustre, evasive performance on BBC interrogator Laura Kuenssberg’s new Sunday show.
On it, Truss pronounced that it was fair that her National Insurance plans gave the lowest income group a measly £7.66 and the richest almost £2,000.
Brazenly championing the wealthy few over the on-the-breadline many in her Thatcher tribute act completely misses the mood of a frightened, fundamentally decent country desperately wanting a government to protect us from the worst cost of living crisis for a century.
The number of 2019 Tories who said she looked like “a Prime Minister in waiting” fell from 49% at the beginning of August to just 31% at the end.
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That may also point to Truss – widely expected to be installed as PM by the Conservative cult over her rival Rishi Sunak – delaying a General Election until late 2024.
If she hopes events will come to her rescue, that will be a forlorn hope if what she unveils on energy bills is a damp squib next to the price freeze backed by the Labour, Liberal Democrat and SNP leaders.
The fourth Tory PM in the six chaotic years since the Brexit referendum is less popular than Boris Johnson and Theresa May.
But the one-time ban the bomb marcher, republican, Lib Dem activist and Remainer will inflict great harm in the most Right-wing regime in decades.
She will axe job rights, shackle trade unions, slash food standards, destroy health and safety, degrade the environment, hammer public services, trigger a trade war with Europe and fill the pockets of zillionaires.
Labour won’t underestimate her, but nor will Starmer treat Truss with kid gloves. She’s beatable at the polls, but sitting back isn’t an option. Truss won’t be her own worst enemy if Labour takes the fight to the Tories.
