Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has called for a "MAGA moment" in Britain, urging fellow conservatives in her country to embrace the populist movement started by President Donald Trump.
In an interview with Newsweek, Truss offered an assessment of the rising tide of conservatives in England, which she claims are a natural reaction to the failed policies of weak politicians in the U.K.
"I want Britain to have its MAGA moment, and in '10 Years to Save the West' that is what I called for," Truss said, referencing her 2024 book. "I said we need the type of revolution that we're seeing in the U.S., the MAGA, the independent media revolution, and now the Trump revolution ... otherwise we are in very, very serious trouble.
"Look at the protests outside migrant hotels. Look at the Unite the Kingdom rally. Look at the support for Reform. All of those things point to a very, very unhappy public, but there's a big difference between that and the actual actions that are required to change Britain, and that is the issue we've got," she said.
Truss said her 49-day tenure as Britain's leader convinced her that the "deep state" is a real threat and not hyperbole.
"People didn't realize how bad it was. ... It takes time for that realization to dawn, and I think we're now in a position where [Prime Minister] Keir Starmer has realized that," she said.
Many in Trump's MAGA movement complain about fake conservatives, or Republicans in name only, known as RINOs. And Truss said a similar accusation can be made of current Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.
"And I don't think she has demonstrated she understands what went wrong for the 14 years of Tory government and what actually needs to change in Britain to make this country great again, but also to make it governable again. It's just not governable at the moment, let alone great," Truss said.
"I think the issue is in Britain — and we've seen this through successive Conservative prime ministers and with Keir Starmer — is that whoever is in No. 10, they're not really running the country at the moment. The unelected bureaucracy is incredibly powerful," she said.
Truss would not give full support to any current British conservative political figure but did offer some praise to Reform Party leader Nigel Farage, who some in the U.K. have labeled Britain's version of Trump.
"So for me the most important thing is who and how is going to change this system? That's what's important and there's no reason by the way that Nigel Farage couldn't be that person, but he has to show that," Truss said.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.