Prime Minister Liz Truss has been an outspoken critic of the Beijing government, repeatedly warning the UK will take a hard line on Chinese aggression. She also claims to be on the side of British businesses, pledged a change of direction in relations with Beijing.
Just two years ago, Ms Truss visited a pottery in Stoke-on-Trent and vowed to champion the British ceramics industry. So it came as a shock to some attending the Conservative Party Conference that her 'Liz for Leader' mugs had been manufactured - in China.
The £14.99 mugs were on sale on the shelves at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. As reported by The Mirror, one unimpressed attendee said: "What's wrong with British crockery?"
On a visit in 2020, Stoke Live reported, Ms Truss vowed to champion the industry in trade talks, stating: “Ceramics is a very important industry. The British have a reputation for quality and I don’t think there is a better example of that than ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent.”
In a 2014 conference speech Ms Truss, then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, rallied against the huge volume of food imports that could be produced in the UK. "That is a disgrace," she passionately told delegates.
The conference visitor said: "Liz Truss made her name ranting about Chinese pork markets. Why is she paying the Chinese to make her mugs?" The source added: "That is a disgrace."
Tory HQ declined to comment on the mugs or explain why Ms Truss had opted to use mugs made in China rather than go British.
