Advisers to Liz Truss used to pretend one of her relatives had died so she could avoid an appearance on BBC Question Time, a former aide has claimed. Kirsty Buchanan, who worked for the Prime Minister when she was justice secretary, was speaking to the Whitehall Sources podcast.
Ms Buchanan, a former reporter at the Western Mail, said eventually the advisers "ran out of excuses" and Truss had to appear on the flagship politics show. “She didn't like the media so we used to spend quite a lot of time making up excuses and killing off minor members of her family so she didn’t have to go on Question Time," she said. "Only minor people like aunts and cousins and things – I'm not talking about major members of the family."
Ms Buchanan said the PM told her she did not mind going on the show as long as an unnamed "X" was not also a guest. She added: "We turn up in the green room and there is the one person she didn’t want to be on the panel."
Read more: Mark Drakeford absolutely blows his top when questioned about the Welsh NHS
The PM has faced heavy criticism since being forced to ditch her flagship tax cuts from the mini-budget. She is facing brewing discontent from within her party, including from Tory MPs in Wales.
Ms Truss held a series of senior cabinet jobs before becoming Prime Minister including justice secretary, environment secretary, trade secretary, and foreign secretary. She has appeared on BBC Question Time nine times between 2012 and 2019 having served as an MP since 2010.
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