After 12 long years of clambering the fraught British political ladder, Liz Truss had finally conquered the summit. There was also one person who could help keep her there, the arch-political operator of his generation who had made and broken prime ministers.
Author Harry Cole told The National how her curious relationship with Michael Gove came back to bite her.
They were friends but she did not fit easily into his ideological circle of neoconservatives, not that Ms Truss was ever particularly firmly planted in any ideology.
Their friendship had extended to Ms Truss as foreign secretary lending Mr Gove her grand grace-and-favour flat in London when he abruptly separated from his wife in 2021.
But on becoming prime minister in early September there was no place for him in her Cabinet and she knew having such a canny politician on the backbenches could prove problematic.
A week before the annual Conservative Party conference she met Mr Gove and made him an offer.
“She has a strange relationship with Gove and knows him very well,” said Mr Cole, the co-author of an intriguing biography on Ms Truss. “That he is very good at politics but also troublemaker so she tried to make peace with him by dangling a very large job out of the country as ambassador to Israel or China. It was basically ‘name your job Michael’.”
But the offer came just as the mini-budget calamity was unravelling. On the Sunday that conference began, Mr Gove found himself on the same BBC political show as the prime minister.
“He came out and machine-gunned the entire budget,” said Cole. “There was an offer and that was his answer.”
Cole’s book, co-authored with James Heale, received national attention when the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer used it as a quip during Prime Minister’s Questions.
“A book is being written about the prime minister’s time in office,” he said. “Apparently it’s going to be out by Christmas — is that the release date, or the title?”
The ensuing mirth at the Tory leader was prescient but Sir Keir was wrong on both counts. Ms Truss resigned 24 hours later and the book is titled: Out of the Blue: The inside story of the unexpected rise and rapid fall of Liz Truss.
Its sharp insights into Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister could well see it bulging from many Christmas stockings.
The idea for the book came to Cole, political editor for The Sun newspaper, when he realised in early July that a little known politician was going to lead the country.
“It was clear Liz was going to win the leadership but she was the most unknown inhabitant of that office so there was definitely a market for ‘who the hell is this person?’”
After a decade as Westminster lobby journalist, Cole had grown to know and like Ms Truss and her advisers, allowing him to detail her taxing trait of self-publicity.
“I don't think she's a bad person, I think she made some bad choices,” he told The National in a quiet corner of parliament. “There's two schools of thought on Liz with very little middle ground. She either brings out massive loyalty or …” He paused. “ … it’s not despair, as that is too hard a word, but head in hands and ‘what the…’”
He outlines Ms Truss's relentless “bulldozing mentality”, which is brutally unwrapped across the unauthorised biography’s highly readable pages.
In pursuit of power, the state-school-educated politician took every opportunity to publicise the good work she was doing for Britain and no better opportunity presented itself than her role as trade secretary, jetting around the globe to land post-Brexit trade deals.
In an extraordinary direct conversation with her US counterpart, she demonstrated her “total misunderstanding of social context and social norms” by going off “on a weird tangent about shortbread”, the book reveals.
“She was like a wrecking ball and didn’t really care about what was actually expected … she just got straight to the point.”
The Washington trip was not an immediate trade success but “Truss, unchained on the global stage, was only just warming up” the book warned.
Like a highly-paid Instagram influencer, the politician rigorously pursued the ideal tapestry for a picture.
In Sydney this meant ditching her entire political schedule to drive around the suburbs looking for “the hipster coffee capital of the world that was relying on British imports.” She was finally snapped with a very British sausage role in one hand and espresso in another.
But the results failed to meet her high editorial standards and the entourage headed to a car park near Sydney Harbour Bridge, where Ms Truss was pictured on a British-made Brompton bike with a Union Jack umbrella.
Editorial standards met, the picture went around the world accompanied by her Tweet of “Get on your bike and look for exports”.
When appointed foreign secretary by Boris Johnson in September 2021, it was another step on the quest for the top spot and by now she had developed a rock star’s taste for specific travel requirements.
British embassies were sent memos on what to expect:
— Double espressos served in a flat-white-sized takeaway cup.
— No pre-made or plastic-packed sandwiches
— No big-brand coffee.
— Bagels or sushi for lunch — absolutely no mayonnaise on anything, ever.
— A bottle of sauvignon blanc provided in the fridge of any overnight accommodation.
Her desire for the limelight was incessant. When she heard that Mr Johnson was meeting US President Donald Trump for preliminary trade talks in New York she ordered her staff to pull every string to get her in the room. They failed but their boss succeeded by collaring the then prime minister after a press conference, knowing he would accede to a direct request.
Ms Truss was “like the cat that got the cream” an aide recounted. “She was grinning ear to ear when she told us, ‘We’re in. I’ve sorted it!”
Exiting the meeting with the two world leaders, her first words were: “Get the pictures.”
Foreign travels meant that Ms Truss was stranded in Indonesia when Mr Johnson resigned in July only getting back to London two days later.
But she rapidly gained ground in the leadership contest, reaching the crucial second place behind Rishi Sunak and it was then that Cole, 36, knew the Tory membership would ultimately make her prime minister.
After Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Ms Truss waited until 23 September to launch the financial hand grenade of unfunded tax cuts that put her administration into an irrecoverable tailspin.
“I think she was in a hurry, she wanted to quickly turn it around,” said Cole “She thought ‘I'm at the peak of my powers, we are going to jump-start this thing’.”
As someone who was “transactional rather than ideological” Ms Truss had no tribe of Tories to rely on when things went wrong. “That's when the true sort of extent of her skills and all her failings became very clear and very quickly. She had tried to be too many things, too many people.”
What now for Ms Truss? “I imagine it's probably going to hit her quite hard at some point,” he sympathised. “But she's the youngest ever living former PM and obviously very talented as you don't get to that top job without having a pretty skilled control of politics. I’d be fascinated to see where she ends up.”
The book’s publication was delayed for two more chapters to be written on her six week premiership, one with the ambiguous title of “Into the Red” — either referring to the massive budget deficit or Labour’s likely general election victory as a result.
But Ms Truss indefatigable nature might suggest this will not be the last chapter.
Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of the Unexpected Rise and Rapid Fall of Liz Truss by Harry Cole and James Heale is published by William Collins in hardback on 24 November. Currently available on Kindle.
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Super heroes
Iron Man
Reduced risk of dementia
Alcohol consumption could be an issue
Hulk
Cardiac disease, stroke and dementia from high heart rate
Spider-Man
Agility reduces risk of falls
Increased risk of obesity and mental health issues
Black Panther
Vegetarian diet reduces obesity
Unknown risks of potion drinking
Black Widow
Childhood traumas increase risk of mental illnesses
Thor
He's a god
UK%20-%20UAE%20Trade
%3Cp%3ETotal%20trade%20in%20goods%20and%20services%20(exports%20plus%20imports)%20between%20the%20UK%20and%20the%20UAE%20in%202022%20was%20%C2%A321.6%20billion%20(Dh98%20billion).%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20an%20increase%20of%2063.0%20per%20cent%20or%20%C2%A38.3%20billion%20in%20current%20prices%20from%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20was%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%2019th%20largest%20trading%20partner%20in%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%20Q4%202022%20accounting%20for%201.3%20per%20cent%20of%20total%20UK%20trade.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine 2.4L four-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.4L/100km
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Details
Through Her Lens: The stories behind the photography of Eva Sereny
Forewords by Jacqueline Bisset and Charlotte Rampling, ACC Art Books
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJuly%205%2C%201994%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jeff%20Bezos%20founds%20Cadabra%20Inc%2C%20which%20would%20later%20be%20renamed%20to%20Amazon.com%2C%20because%20his%20lawyer%20misheard%20the%20name%20as%20'cadaver'.%20In%20its%20earliest%20days%2C%20the%20bookstore%20operated%20out%20of%20a%20rented%20garage%20in%20Bellevue%2C%20Washington%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EJuly%2016%2C%201995%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20formally%20opens%20as%20an%20online%20bookseller.%20%3Cem%3EFluid%20Concepts%20and%20Creative%20Analogies%3A%20Computer%20Models%20of%20the%20Fundamental%20Mechanisms%20of%20Thought%3C%2Fem%3E%20becomes%20the%20first%20item%20sold%20on%20Amazon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E1997%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20goes%20public%20at%20%2418%20a%20share%2C%20which%20has%20grown%20about%201%2C000%20per%20cent%20at%20present.%20Its%20highest%20closing%20price%20was%20%24197.85%20on%20June%2027%2C%202024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E1998%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20acquires%20IMDb%2C%20its%20first%20major%20acquisition.%20It%20also%20starts%20selling%20CDs%20and%20DVDs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2000%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20Marketplace%20opens%2C%20allowing%20people%20to%20sell%20items%20on%20the%20website%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2002%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20forms%20what%20would%20become%20Amazon%20Web%20Services%2C%20opening%20the%20Amazon.com%20platform%20to%20all%20developers.%20The%20cloud%20unit%20would%20follow%20in%202006%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2003%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20turns%20in%20an%20annual%20profit%20of%20%2475%20million%2C%20the%20first%20time%20it%20ended%20a%20year%20in%20the%20black%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2005%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20Prime%20is%20introduced%2C%20its%20first-ever%20subscription%20service%20that%20offered%20US%20customers%20free%20two-day%20shipping%20for%20%2479%20a%20year%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2006%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20Unbox%20is%20unveiled%2C%20the%20company's%20video%20service%20that%20would%20later%20morph%20into%20Amazon%20Instant%20Video%20and%2C%20ultimately%2C%20Amazon%20Video%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2007%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon's%20first%20hardware%20product%2C%20the%20Kindle%20e-reader%2C%20is%20introduced%3B%20the%20Fire%20TV%20and%20Fire%20Phone%20would%20come%20in%202014.%20Grocery%20service%20Amazon%20Fresh%20is%20also%20started%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2009%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20introduces%20Amazon%20Basics%2C%20its%20in-house%20label%20for%20a%20variety%20of%20products%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2010%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20foundations%20for%20Amazon%20Studios%20were%20laid.%20Its%20first%20original%20streaming%20content%20debuted%20in%202013%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2011%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Amazon%20Appstore%20for%20Google's%20Android%20is%20launched.%20It%20is%20still%20unavailable%20on%20Apple's%20iOS%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2014%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Amazon%20Echo%20is%20launched%2C%20a%20speaker%20that%20acts%20as%20a%20personal%20digital%20assistant%20powered%20by%20Alexa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2017%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon%20acquires%20Whole%20Foods%20for%20%2413.7%20billion%2C%20its%20biggest%20acquisition%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E2018%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amazon's%20market%20cap%20briefly%20crosses%20the%20%241%20trillion%20mark%2C%20making%20it%2C%20at%20the%20time%2C%20only%20the%20third%20company%20to%20achieve%20that%20milestone%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani