In her final speech outside No 10 before going on holiday, Truss showed no sign of remorse for the chaos that has engulfed her 50-day premiership. Instead, he quoted the Roman philosopher Seneca, who said, “We dare not because things are difficult, but because we do not dare that they are difficult.” Flanked by her aides and supporters on one side and her husband and two daughters on the other, Truss wished Sunak “every success” before she was driven to Buckingham Palace to formally tender her resignation to king. The outgoing prime minister said she is “more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and face the challenges we face”, saying she still believes in lower taxes and strengthening the UK’s defence. These statements will be seen as a challenge to Sunak, who introduced the rise in national insurance that he reversed and specifically has not pledged to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP by the end of the decade. Truss acknowledged she had served for a “short term” but trumpeted achievements such as helping millions of people pay their energy bills and preventing thousands of businesses from going bankrupt, as well as taking steps to ensure greater energy resilience. She said it was an honor to lead the UK in mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth and welcoming the accession of King Charles III, and reiterated its support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Looking ahead to her time after Downing Street, Truss said she was “looking forward to spending more time in my constituency” of South West Norfolk. Channeling the undiminished optimism that has been a key feature of her leadership campaign over the summer, Truss concluded her statement by saying: “Our country continues to battle through a storm, but I believe in Britain, I believe in the British people and I know brighter days are coming”. The speech, which lasted just over three minutes, showed little of Truss’ emotional state – a marked difference from Boris Johnson, when he hit out at the “herd mentality” of the Conservative party, and Theresa May, when she was left in tears. her last moments. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Truss’s latest speech was met with a collective shrug of the shoulders by most Tory MPs. One said: “I don’t know why he did it at all, to be honest.” Another called it “okay” and added “we don’t need to dance on her grave.” Minutes before Truss gave the speech, her deputy prime minister, Thérèse Coffey, had taken a selfie with aides gathered at the corner of Downing Street to applaud and cheer her on her way. A No 10 source said Truss still believed her overall financial plan was the right one and believed she would “continue to make that point from the backbenches”. After Truss left Buckingham Palace shortly before midday on Tuesday, she went on holiday to enjoy some peace after a tumultuous time in office and give her successor some space as he settled into the new job.
