Liz Truss’s tales of backstabbing plots lays bare dysfunction at heart of Westminster

I recently sat down with former PM Liz Truss (Image: Adam Gerrard/Daily Express )

On the Daily Expresso podcast last week, I sat down with former Prime Minister Liz Truss for a wide-ranging and surprisingly candid conversation. We talked about everything from her turbulent 49 days in Downing Street to her views on economic reform. One thing that really struck me – beyond the political drama – was just how toxic the world of politics is. Liz had plenty to say about why her premiership was so short-lived and who she believes was responsible for her downfall.

But what lingered in my mind wasn’t the blame game – it was the culture she described. The backstabbing. The plotting. The sense that her own colleagues were sharpening their knives before she’d even found her footing. Imagine walking into your workplace each morning knowing that half your team are secretly rooting for your failure.

That’s not democracy in action – that’s dysfunction in its purest form. Of course, this isn’t unique to the Conservatives. Labour has its factions at war, the SNP is tearing itself apart, and even the Liberal Democrats can’t decide what they stand for.

Politics has become less about ideas and more about identity. Less about service and more about survival. It’s a zero-sum game where success for one camp demands humiliation for another. And we wonder why the public has tuned out?

Social media has poured fuel on the fire. Platforms that should connect people have instead become breeding grounds for outrage and abuse. MPs are targeted daily with threats, slurs, and conspiracy theories.

Reasoned debate has been replaced by digital lynch mobs. No wonder so many talented people now look at politics and think: “No thanks.”

Who would volunteer for a job where every decision you make is dissected, distorted, and spat back at you through the prism of hate?

But here’s the truth: if we want better politicians, we need to create a better environment for politics. We can’t keep demanding empathy, honesty, and courage from our leaders while simultaneously rewarding division, scandal, and tribalism. The toxicity that has infected Westminster doesn’t just hurt MPs – it damages all of us. It poisons trust in our institutions and makes progress impossible.

I’ve seen flashes of what’s possible when the temperature cools. Cross-party committees – often ignored by the media – quietly do some of the most productive work in Parliament. When party lines blur and MPs focus on shared goals, things actually get done. It’s proof that collaboration isn’t a weakness; it’s the foundation of effective governance.

We need to rediscover that spirit. That sense that disagreement doesn’t have to mean destruction. That we can debate fiercely without demeaning one another. Politics should be a contest of ideas, not insults.

If we want our democracy to thrive, we have to detoxify it, starting with how we talk to and about each other. The shouting matches might make good headlines, but cooperation makes a better country. It’s time to drain the poison from our politics and bring back a little decency. Because without that, the whole system will rot from within.

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