It’s been a rough few months for the Conservatives so last night’s launch of Freer made a welcome change. Cabinet ministers and MPs gathered to celebrate the new initiative intended to promote a freer society and a freer economy. Or, Liz Truss’s leadership ambitions, depending which way you look at it. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury – and rising social media star – gave a lively speech at the Conrad hotel to kickstart the project. Truss entertained the crowd with anecdotes from her time as a young Conservative, plans to win over younger voters and criticism of a ‘po-faced’ opposition:
Truss’s early years:
‘They don’t want to be told what to do and what to think. That is incredibly important in this modern age. I’m someone who has never liked being told what to do, I started early – arguing against my socialist parents in my left-wing household. I joined the Conservative party in 1996 when it was distinctly unfashionable and I set up the free enterprise group in 2011 just when people were saying the battle had been won and we didn’t need to talk about this anymore.
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