The 17 weirdest lines from Liz Truss's book Ten Years to Save the West

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We read Liz Truss’s new book but decided that a full review would not do justice to the sheer oddity of the text. Instead, we will let the 49-day prime minister speak for herself. Here are some of our favourite excerpts from Ten Years to Save the West.

1. Liz on her ministerial approach

“I took this on in my usual style — full frontal.”

2. Liz on her school days

“I lived in fear of being beaten up in the lunch queue or stabbed with a pair of scissors in my media studies class.”

3. Liz on the aftermath of the Brexit vote

“My special adviser says he had never seen me so depressed. I just looked at him and said what we were both thinking: ‘What the actual f***?’

4. Liz on the EU

“The only thing they understand is pain.”

5. Liz on the watermelons

“This ‘watermelon’ tendency is green on the outside, red on the inside — a modern rebranding of socialism… It’s time conservatives fought back against the watermelons and called them out for the damage they’re doing.”

6. Liz on Barack Obama

“I was glad to see the back of the anti-British, condescending Obama.”

7. Liz on Donald Trump

“As an early fan of the TV show The Apprentice, I enjoyed the Donald’s catchphrases and sassy business advice.”

8. Liz on killing badgers

“I got involved in everything from the bait being used — peanut butter and maize worked best — to motivating the shooters who had to go out late at night.”

9. Liz on killing ducks

“I found myself making slightly surreal life-and-death decisions about the natural world, such as ordering the gassing of 5,000 ducks in Yorkshire during an outbreak of avian flu.”

10. Liz on bats

“The builders had been forced to install ‘bat bridges’ so bats could travel safely across the road. Needless to say, no bat has ever been seen on these bridges. Anyway, bats fly!”

11. Liz on her predictive powers

“I had a premonition it would end in tears — my tears.”

12. Liz on Lefty lawyers

“They tried to both charm me and shame me into going along with what they wanted: lots of cosy breakfasts and dinners on the one hand while not clapping loudly enough when they “welcomed” me on the other.”

13. Liz on Theresa May

“The old political maxim is to speak softly and carry a big stick. Between 2016 and 2019, the Government was often shouting while waving a twig.”

14. Liz on Tony Blair

“I was shepherded into a laundry lift. Who should be there but Tony Blair?! He gets everywhere.”

15. Liz on Sue Gray

“To my surprise, she took it upon herself to commiserate with me by giving me a hug, before telling me that as a result of my demotion, my salary was being cut. I didn’t welcome her unsolicited embrace — I am not a hugger — but given how delicate I was feeling, she got off lightly.”

16. Liz on Nick Clegg

“He would rather be popular than do the right thing. He has now found a much more appropriate home in California and is working for Facebook.”

17. Liz on herself

“I see myself as an instinctively anti-establishment figure… I am, after all, a contrarian.”

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