Minister mocks Liz Truss over her trade record and calls rival ‘the future of our party’

Conor Burns pokes fun at ‘Instagram posts about free trade agreements’ – for which future prime minister was notorious

A government minister has mocked Liz Truss over her record on post-Brexit trade deals and anointed a rival as “the future of our party”.

In fresh evidence of Tory unity breaking down after the botched budget, Conor Burns suggested the prime minister’s time as trade secretary was a tale of style over substance.

The trade minister praised Kemi Badenoch, who now holds the trade brief, contrasting her approach with the way Ms Truss became notorious for her social media output in the job.