Liz Truss’ former speech writer says she had a “Spinal Tap approach” to her short-lived reign as PM

Liz Truss’ former speech writer, Asa Bennett, has said the short-lived Prime Minister had a “Spinal Tap approach” to running government.

The former Conservative Party leader holds the record as the UK’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, lasting just 44 days in office before Rishi Sunak took over. Her policies were widely criticised by the public, and her short stint as PM was mocked by a litany of celebrities – among them being Joe Lycett, Stephen Colbert and Ricky Gervais.

Bennett’s revelation came in the BBC Radio 4 program Liz Truss’s Big Gamble (via The Guardian), where the former speech writer reasoned that Truss may have “felt that she’s gambled before in her life”, therefore she thought “she could gamble again” with her Prime Ministerial role.

“And yes, the stakes would be high,” she continued. “But the payoff was worth it in the sense of taking that fast action. I think she always liked to be the one that was ready to push the envelope and would only back down if there was good reason.”

Bennett went on to say that Truss would “would take this sort of Spinal Tap approach” while in-office, with a tendency to “turn it up to 11, and only if necessary, turn it down again”.

During her six-week stint as PM, Truss was broadly slammed for her plan to tackle rising energy costs in the UK; the music industry was especially burnt, with Michael Kill – CEO of the Night Time Industries Association – saying his organisation was “extremely disappointed” with Truss’ efforts.

Meanwhile, a sequel to the iconic This Is Spinal Tap film is currently in development, expected for release on March 19, 2024. It’ll come almost exactly 40 years after the original film, which first screened on March 2, 1984.