Following the release of a tape in which Liz Truss lamented the absence of “corruption” among British employees, she has deflected criticism.
The front-runner for the Tory leadership position disparaged the “working culture” outside of London by drawing comparisons to China.
The comments were made between 2017 and 2019 while Ms. Truss served as a Treasury minister, and she cautioned that increased productivity is necessary for Britons to become “richer.”
The prospective prime minister said that “greater productivity throughout the nation and we need more economic development” when asked about the video during yesterday night’s hustings.
However, Labour has seized on the remarks, and this morning, allies attempted to defuse the conflict.
In interviews, former Cabinet minister Sajid Javid highlighted that British employees are “the most hard-working in the world” and stated he “didn’t know the entire context” of the remarks.
Despite the controversy, Ms. Truss received a significant boost today as the most recent ConservativeHome survey indicates she is definitely on track to win on September 5. In a poll of activists, she outperformed Rishi Sunak by 60% to 28%.
There is a fundamental problem with British working culture, Ms. Truss is heard stating on the audio that the Guardian has received.
In essence, that has to change if we want to be a wealthier and more affluent nation. However, I don’t believe that many people are eager to alter that.
In Britain, there is a “slight thing” about expecting simple solutions, she said, before adding: “But truly what has to happen is more… more effort.” It is not a well-liked message.
She said that productivity in London was “very, very different from the rest of the nation,” adding that this was “partly a mentality and attitude problem.”
“If you look at production, London and the rest of the nation are very, very different from one another.” However, this has essentially been a historical reality for many years. Essentially, I believe that it has to do with thought and attitude. In essence, it is workplace culture.
“If you travel to China, I can promise you that it’s completely different.”
When questioned regarding the comments made at the last night’s Tory leadership hustings in Perth, Ms. Truss responded, “I don’t know what you are quoting there but the points that I have always made is that what we need in this country is more productivity across the country and we need more economic growth.
“Capital investment is something we don’t have enough of, which is why it’s critical that firms invest, whether they’re in the oil and gas sector or the whiskey sector.”
A source for the Truss campaign said: “These remarks from half a decade ago lack context, but one thing that is as obvious now as it has ever been is the need to increase productivity, which results in greater pay and a better standard of living for workers all throughout the UK.”
Liz will produce a high salary, high growth, and low tax economy as prime minister.
Ms. Truss was aware that Britons are “among the toughest workers in the world,” Mr. Javid said on Times Radio.
He said that British employees are among the toughest workers in the world. “I’ve seen firsthand, Liz has,” he added. “The hours they put in, the effort they put in, it couldn’t be tougher.”
Until recently, I oversaw the wonderful NHS, which employs the biggest workforce in the nation. The physicians and nurses I deal with, for instance, are working harder than they possibly could.
“However, there is a big responsibility for government and a need to get things right whether it comes to the public sector, or the private sector, when it comes to enhancing productivity.”
Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, made reference to a Truss campaign promise that was later dropped and might have reduced public sector pay outside of London. He continued, “Now it’s revealed she has been saying people outside of London don’t have the right culture or attitude.”
“It’s profoundly disrespectful for Liz Truss to basically brand British workers lazy,” one person said. “Wages are dropping because the Tories failed to manage inflation and years of sluggish development.”