Liz Truss’ comments suggesting that British people are work shy were taken out of context, a former cabinet minister supporting her for Prime Minister said on Wednesday.
Sajid Javid said the British “are amongst the hardest-working in the world” when asked about Ms Truss’s claim that the country needs to produce “more graft”.
She also said that productivity was “very, very different in London from the rest of the country”, claiming this was “partly a mindset and attitude thing” in the leaked audio clip from 2017.
Mr Javid told Sky News: “That comment, as I understand it, was made a number of years ago. I don’t know the exact context that was made in.
“What I also heard her say was that the productivity in the UK versus other comparable countries is generally lower and that’s been a longstanding UK problem and that doesn’t happen because British workers don’t work hard.
“British workers are amongst the hardest-working in the world.”
He added: “I think what she’s talking about is business and investment, because to increase productivity the Government of course has a huge role to play - there’s capital investment, things like infrastructure investment, those areas that get more of it generally of course can do better in terms of productivity.
“It’s also about skills investment and making sure that we’re investing in skills across the country, not just in the capital or the South East but right across the country, and that is what’s going to make the difference."
In the leaked audio clip, obtained by the Guardian, Ms Truss is heard saying: “There’s a fundamental issue of British working culture.
“Essentially, if we’re going to be a richer country and a more prosperous country, that needs to change. But I don’t think people are that keen to change that.”
She added: “But actually what needs to happen is more graft. It’s not a popular message.”
The comments were made in 2017 when Ms Truss was a Treasury minister.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth branded it “grossly offensive” and said the Tory leadership frontrunner was calling “British workers lazy”.
Earlier this month on the campaign trail, Ms Truss was forced to abandon an £8.8 billion plan which could have seen public sector pay slashed outside London.
She scrapped the plan for regional pay boards a little over 12 hours after announcing it.
