Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russia calls for the continuation of ceasefire between "Israel" and Iran without any breaks: Lavrov
The Israeli military command confirmed the death of an officer—a commander serving as a team leader in the elite 1st Golani Brigade’s Patrol Battalion—during intense confrontations in the southern Gaza Strip
Israeli media: An Israeli guard was killed in a shooting attack at the Gush Etzion Junction, and those who carried out the operation were injured
Ofer Military Court extended Nasser al-Lahham's detention for three days
Israeli media platform says a reserve soldier was found killed in Har Homa in al-Quds
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli drone strikes a vehicle in the town of al-Mansouri with two missiles
Yemeni Armed Forces: We are working to expand our military support operations and continue the naval blockade until the aggression on Gaza ends
Yemeni Armed Forces: We carried out a top-tier military operation targeting Llydd Airport with a Thulfiqar missile, which successfully achieved its goal
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 16 Palestinians, including 10 children, were martyred in an Israeli bombardment near the al-Zawari junction in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip
US State Department sanctions UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.

In leaked audio, Truss bashes fellow Britons as 'lacking talent'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 16 Aug 2022 23:39
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

In a leaked audio recording of Liz Truss, she suggests that the Britons lacked "skill and application," in an echo of "idlers" row.

  • x
  • Leadership hopeful Truss laments UK workers in leaked audio.
    UK Conservative Liz Truss

In a leaked audio recording revealed Tuesday, UK Conservative Liz Truss, the favorite to become prime minister next month, bashed her fellow Britons and said they lacked "talent and application" and needed to work more.

Truss stated that the workers' "mindset and attitude" were partly to blame for the UK's comparatively low productivity in the two-minute audio clip, which dated from her time as a senior minister in the finance ministry between 2017 and 2019.

"It's working culture basically," she said in the recording, obtained by The Guardian newspaper, adding that British workers needed "more graft".

"If you go to China it's quite different, I can assure you. There's a fundamental issue of British working culture... I don't think people are that keen to change."

The humiliating disclosure comes as Truss leads competitor Rishi Sunak in multiple surveys in the contest to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister when he steps down early next month.

Read next: Tory race to claim PM title: Truss leads ahead of Sunak

The nearly 200,000-strong members of the party have already begun voting for their future leader, who will eventually become Prime Minister.

The winner of the summer-long competition will be announced on September 5, with the new leader taking over the following day.

The two main contenders took part in a hustings event in Scotland on Tuesday evening, after waging a heated struggle in recent weeks that included numerous aggressive briefings and counter-briefings by their teams.

The incendiary remarks by Truss echo controversial arguments made in a 2012 book she co-authored, "Britannia Unchained", in which British workers were described as among the "worst idlers in the world."

Related News

Liz Truss denies crashing UK economy

Truss admits to 'mistakes', cites unpreparedness to 'onslaught'

See next: Truss leads the race ahead of Sunak for the PM seat

When asked about it during a leadership debate last month, Truss distanced herself from the disputed report, stating it was written by co-author and Sunak supporter Dominic Raab, who is now the Justice Minister.

Raab later stated that the book's authors, who included many other top Conservative ministers, had accepted to "share responsibility" for its contents.

'More graft' 

In the leaked recording, Truss – who supported remaining in the European Union during the acrimonious 2016 referendum before switching to Brexit – appears to indicate that the EU and migration are unfairly vilified.

"We say it's all Europe that's causing all these problems. It's all, 'it's migrants that's causing problems'.  "But actually what needs to happen is, you know, a bit more graft," she said, with a laugh, before adding, "It's not a popular message."

A Truss campaign source branded the leaked comments "half-a-decade-old" and lacking "context" while acknowledging that Britain does "need to boost productivity."

"As prime minister, Liz will deliver an economy that is high wage, high growth, and low tax," the source added.

Read next: Truss wanted to know how to get into Vogue: Scottish first minister

Meanwhile, at the start of the hustings event in Perth, Scotland, both candidates restated their opposition to another referendum on Scottish independence, after Scots narrowly decided to remain in the UK in 2014.

The SNP, led by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, claims that Brexit has changed the constitutional discussion and proposes a second referendum in October 2023. Sunak said he couldn't "imagine the circumstances" in which he would grant another referendum.

The Supreme Court in London wants to hold hearings on whether that would be allowed without approval from the UK government on October 11 and 12, this year. "We're not just neighbors, we're family and I will never ever let our family be split up," Truss told the audience of Scottish Conservative party members to applause.

Read next: UK likely heading towards a year-long recession

  • Liz Truss
  • United Kingdom
  • Boris Johnson

Most Read

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' peace deal

Syria demands 1/3 of Golan, Lebanese areas for 'Israel' normalization

  • MENA
  • 4 Jul 2025
Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Al-Qassam hits IOF groupings in Khan Younis; ‘tough incident’ reported

3 Israeli soldiers killed by Resistance gunfire in south, north Gaza

  • Palestine
  • 4 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, center, attends a protest following the US attacks on nuclear sites in Iran, in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 22, 2025 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' attempted to assassinate Pezeshkian during war: Exclusive

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, July 7, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran open to US nuclear talks but demands guarantees, says Araghchi

Buildings that were destroyed during the Israeli ground and air operations stand in northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Politics

Ceasefire stalls as 'Israel' demands control over one-third of Gaza

Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida during a public address, March 6, 2025 (Al-Qassam Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam vows ongoing Resistance in response to Al-Aqsa aggression

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS