John McTernan, Tony Blair’s former adviser, has warned the Labour Party that they should fear PM Truss. Writing for UnHerd, John McTernan makes a number of solid points about Liz, warning Sir Keir’s party to come down from their revelry in Boris’s defenestration and recognise they’re about to enter some very choppy political waters. “If Labour think Liz Truss will be a walkover, they should think again. When the dust clears, they will be facing a formidable opponent”…

Aside from the fact Truss will be the Tories’ third female PM to Labour’s big fat nought, among Liz’s qualities he highlights are the fact that she’s changed her mind over Brexit and the LibDems, which he believes humanises her with the electorate, and the fact this political journey makes her “a powerful communicator”:

“Liz Truss knows why voters find progressive policies attractive, which can strengthen the persuasive power of her arguments for people to change their views. And her speaking style is clear and simple. The listener readily understands what she thinks and believes”

On her policies, McTernan points out that while many on the left will disagree with many – if not all – of Truss’s proposed policy fixes, they’ll prove difficult to argue against. Grammar schools, cutting the Green Tax Levy, cutting taxes for the cost of living, are easy one-liners and have appeal. Arguments against them require detailed sociological and economic explanations. “And, as the old political saying goes, “when you’re explaining, you’re losing.”

The Truss offer, both in style and substance, is continuity of the spirit of Boris and Brexit, without the perceived baggage of Partygate and other scandals. Unsurprisingly McTernan believes Starmer can win by learning from New Labour, attacking the government while not nit-picking, and offering a vision of hope. “Otherwise, Keir Starmer risks being just one more man, in a long line of men, who have underestimated Liz Truss at their peril.”