Liz Truss is not doing what she promised in her leadership campaign

‘I’m very clear I’m not planning public spending reductions,’ she said. Yet that’s exactly what her government is now planning, writes Andrew Grice

In July, Truss assured us she would not return to the austerity of the 2010-15 Tory-led coalition (Reuters)

Allies of Liz Truss insist we shouldn’t be surprised: she is implementing what she promised during the Tory leadership campaign and is someone who “does what she says”. There’s only one problem: it’s not true.

In July, Truss assured us she would not return to the austerity of the 2010-15 Tory-led coalition. “I’m very clear I’m not planning public spending reductions, what I am planning is public service reforms,” she said. In other words, Trussonomics is not Osbornomics.

Yet another round of spending cuts is precisely what her government is now planning in a desperate attempt to scramble out of the hole of its own making and calm the financial markets.