In case you missed last night’s “People’s Forum” with Liz Truss on GB News, one of the most eyecatching moments came when Liz went further than she has with any other hypothetical Cabinet appointments. Asked by a member of the public about her plans for the make-up of government, Liz inquired if they had anyone in mind:

Audience:“I would like you to give some opportunity to maybe people that you might not know as well at the moment… certainly somebody who fired the imagination of the public was Kemi Badenoch and I’d really like to see her given a meaty role.”

Truss: “Do you have any ideas about what that role should be?

Audience: “Oh well, Foreign Secretary! There might be a role going there!”

Truss: “Look, I don’t want to get ahead of myself and this leadership campaign is still going on, but I can tell you that I will make sure the best players in the Conservative Party are on the pitch if I’m elected leader… Kemi – I’ve worked with her as Women & Equalities Minister – we’ve taken on a lot of the agenda of people who are trying to deny that women are women and so on, so I think she’s absolutely brilliant and I would definitely want her as part of my team if I’m successful.“

Whilst not an explicit commitment, it sounded like a firm hint of promotion. The news made a lot of members – and high-profile figures like Nikki da Costa and Toby Young – very happy…