Former PM Liz Truss says being an MP is 'harder' now

Liz Truss says politics needs more experienced people as her colleagues decide not to stand in next general election

Liz Truss has said today's MPs need greater experience, as she reflected on her role ahead of a general election.

The former prime minister, who is the MP for South West Norfolk, also said it was "sad" three of her colleagues in the county had decided to stand down.

She told BBC Radio Norfolk she was "concerned" about whether politics was an attractive career.

"There are a lot of MPs stepping down," she said. "Everyone needs to make their own decision about their lives."

Ms Truss described fellow Conservative MPs - Norwich North's Chloe Smith, South Norfolk's Richard Bacon and Brandon Lewis in Great Yarmouth - as "good friends and allies".

"It's sad to see them go," she said.

"We've worked on everything from RAF Marham, to the A11 (dualling), to improving the train services.

"There's a lot of social media attacks on MPs. We've seen MPs' security diminish and it's pretty appalling when we've seen two MPs who've been murdered in the last 10 years."

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Ms Truss was Britain's shortest serving prime minister, holding the post for only 45 days and resigning after the markets failed to support her chancellor's mini budget.

Liz Truss makes a statement prior to her formal resignation outside Number 10 in October 2022

She said more needed to be done to make the role of an MP more attractive and help keep people in the job for longer.

"We do need people who are experienced, who've been in government, who understand what the pitfalls are," she said.

She added that she remained a constituency MP despite her resignation, "because I think things need to change in Britain".

"I thought Brexit was an opportunity to unleash that potential and I don't think we've done enough," she said.

"I want to use the experience I've had, good and bad, to inform that future debate.

"I'm not saying I want to run for leadership again, or even I want to be a minister again. What I'm saying is even having MPs in the House of Commons with that experience is important."

'Too much power'

Ms Truss, who has been giving speeches across the world since joining the back benches, denied a new book she was promoting contained few references to her Norfolk constituency - and that her focus was elsewhere.

She insisted many of her ideas came from interaction with constituents in Thetford, Swaffham and Downham Market, who she said were concerned about matters such as illegal immigration and a lack of housing.

Ms Truss said civil servants, statutory bodies and courts had too much power, and often "overrode decisions of democratically elected people".

Liz Truss during a visit to a company in Swaffham in 2023 denied that her focus was elsewhere and not on her local area

"I don't think we've got the balance right," she said, and described decision-making as often "outsourced to unaccountable bodies", something she was keen to change.

With a general election this year, Ms Truss denied being complacent about keeping her seat.

"It's going to be a tough election, I'm fighting on the Conservative principles I believe in and because I believe these things are right for Britain," she said.