Truss asks Civil Service to probe ‘slurs’ against her in King’s Speech papers

After the Civil Service had references to Liz Truss in a briefing document removed, the ex-PM has asked for an investigation.

Former prime minister Liz Truss has demanded an investigation into how ‘slurs’ against her ended up in a briefing document (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

Liz Truss has sent a follow-up letter to the head of the Civil Service demanding he investigate how “slurs” against her ended up in a briefing document.

Text describing Ms Truss’s mini-budget as a “disaster” was removed from briefing notes published alongside the King’s Speech after she complained to the head of the Civil Service, Simon Case, that references to her were “untrue political attacks”.

Briefing notes about the contents of the speech, delivered by the King on Wednesday, also included references to the “mistakes” of economic policy under Ms Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister.

Her latest letter includes a list of questions for Mr Case, including whether he has opened an investigation, who gave the final sign-off to the document and how civil servants will be held to account if they have breached the Civil Service Code.

I am very disturbed that this material impugning my name found its way into a Civil Service document published on the first day of the new Parliament

Liz Truss

She also asks how many physical copies of the “errant document” were printed and whether he has made efforts to recover and pulp unissued copies.

“I am very disturbed that this material impugning my name found its way into a Civil Service document published on the first day of the new Parliament,” she writes.

“That not a single person who drafted, edited, proofed or signed off so significant a document saw fit to challenge the slurs against me would only go to suggest that there is a settled view in Whitehall which accepts the narrative of my political opponents without challenge.

“This should be a matter of deep concern to the British public.”

In a briefing made available online after the King’s address at the State Opening of Parliament, the Government had referred to the “disaster” of Ms Truss’s radical tax-cutting agenda and cited the Institute for Government think tank as saying the mini-budget was “a lesson in how not to do fiscal policy”.

A section of the document outlining the Budget Responsibility Bill – which would seek to strengthen the role of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – proposes that significant and permanent changes to tax and spend would be subject to an independent assessment by the Treasury watchdog.

This would be introduced “to ensure that the mistakes of Liz Truss’s ‘mini budget’ cannot be repeated”, the briefing said.

Since being ejected from Number 10 after just 49 days in office, Ms Truss has conceded her plan to quickly abolish the 45p top rate of tax went too far, but otherwise defended her failed bid to boost growth.

The Cabinet Office confirmed on Wednesday they had directed the references be removed from the document.

The Cabinet Secretary will respond to Ms Truss’s latest letter in the usual way, the department said.