Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss Speaks At Pepperdine

MALIBU, CA — Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, recently spoke at Pepperdine University.

Truss, a current member of Parliament who served as the U.K. premier for 49 days in 2022 amid a government crisis, discussed her book "Ten Years to Save the West" in the latest installment of Pepperdine's President's Speaker Series.

At the event, she was interviewed by Pepperdine President Jim Gash in front of an audience of 350 people on April 25, according to Pepperdine.

In the wide-ranging conversation, Truss reflected on current leftist political movements — which she says are a threat to the West, China's rise in power, her journey to conservative politics, US politics and her stint as prime minister.

Truss spoke out against the power of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and the United Nations, which she said restrict individual freedoms and national sovereignty.

“What I favor is a coalition of national-states who want to promote our values and our own ideas,” said Truss. “Too often these bodies are created with no purpose, and they tend to create their own.”

A full recording of Truss' talk is available on YouTube.

Her plan for boosting post-Brexit economic growth with tax cuts and deregulation roused Tory members of Parliament. But a budget with $54 million in unfunded tax cuts rocked the financial markets, drove up the cost of government borrowing and tanked the pound to its lowest-ever level against the dollar.

The Bank of England stepped in to prop up the bond market and prevent a larger economic meltdown.

A tabloid newspaper set up a live camera on a head of lettuce and a photo of Truss and asked which would last longer. The salad leaf won, and the nickname “Lettuce Liz” was born.

In October 2022, Truss resigned and was replaced by Rishi Sunak, the rival she’d defeated just a couple of months earlier.

As part of her book tour, Truss has defended her economic record and blamed the “deep state,” “technocrats,” “the establishment,” civil servants and the Bank of England for her downfall. Her prominent public profile after leaving office bucks the tradition of former prime ministers fading from the public eye.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.