Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Liz Truss ‘would be too busy’ as PM to think about Downing Street wallpaper

The Foreign Secretary joked she will not have time to think about changing the wallpaper in Downing Street if elected Prime Minister.

Dominic McGrath
Thursday 21 July 2022 10:32 BST
The controversial refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s official Downing Street flat has been a source of mockery and criticism for the Prime Minister (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
The controversial refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s official Downing Street flat has been a source of mockery and criticism for the Prime Minister (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Liz Truss has joked she will not have time to think about changing the wallpaper in Downing Street if she is elected prime minister.

The quip, a reference to Boris Johnson’s controversial refurbishment of his official Downing Street flat, came as the Foreign Secretary prepares to face off against rival Rishi Sunak in the last round of the Conservative leadership contest.

Ms Truss and the former chancellor will now face a vote of Tory Party members, after a series of ballots by Conservative MPs narrowed the contest down to the final two candidates.

Appearing on GB News, she was asked if she plans to remove the infamous gold wallpaper, reportedly part of the controversial overhaul which prompted questions about how the renovations were funded.

Recent reports suggested that the revamp could have cost around £200,000, prompting jokes in some quarters over the fate of any plush wallpaper now that Mr Johnson is set to leave No 10.

Ms Truss appeared to get in on the act, telling the programme that, if elected Tory leader by party members, she will not have time to think about such things.

“I’m not going to have the time to be thinking about the wallpaper in No 10, because we’ve only got two years until the general election – we need to hit the ground running,” she said.

She told the same programme she is a fan of 1980s music, with I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston her go-to karaoke song.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in