Former prime minister Liz Truss to urge West to ‘get real’ about China threat in political comeback speech
Liz Truss will warn of a “global battle between free societies and dictatorships” in a speech in the US designed to revive her economic and political agenda.
The former prime minister is due to make a speech in which she will question whether Western democracies – including the UK – are currently “match fit to take on China” and the “whole concept of state capitalism”.
Ms Truss, who currently sits on the Conservative backbenches following a short-lived period as prime minister, will criticise Western governments for “appeasing” autocratic regimes in China and Russia and will argue that more needs to be done to protect Taiwan from Chinese aggression.
She is expected to make the comments at the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture at the Heritage Foundation thinktank in Washington DC on Wednesday.
Ms Truss has kept a relatively low profile since she was ousted as Tory leader after just 44 days in office following Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget, which spooked the markets and led to an increase in some mortgage rates.
But in recent months she has sought to defend the central plan of her leadership bid – economic growth and low taxes.
Her speech comes on the same day Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey is due to address the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the US capital.
The IMF struck a decidedly gloomy tone with its most recent assessment of the global economy on Tuesday, warning that it was entering a “perilous phase” of low economic growth and high financial risk.
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The fund downgraded its outlook for global growth and said its medium-term forecast for economic output was now at its weakest level since it began publishing forecasts in 1990.
In her speech, Ms Truss is expected to say that her preferred model of “low taxes, limited government and private enterprise” have been overtaken by larger government – which she branded a “disease”.
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Military analyst Sean Bell examines French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China, joined by President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to speak with Chinese President, Xi Jinping.
She will also argue against Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) plans for a minimum 15% corporation tax rate for multinational companies – something she said was “nothing short of a global cartel of complacency”.
She will argue that the “Anglo-American” economic model of individualism is being “strangled into stagnation” by authoritarian regimes and their “unwitting allies in the anti-growth movement”.
“The symptoms are low growth, rising living costs and declining value of wages,” she will say. “The disease is ever larger government. And we have to ask ourselves: are we still match fit to take on China and to take on the whole concept of state capitalism?
“The sad truth is that we have seen stagnation, redistributionism and woke culture taking hold in businesses and the economy in the UK and the US. It results in more tax, more subsidies, more regulation.”
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The former prime minister, who was also foreign secretary from 2021 to 2022, will also criticise the West for giving “succour to authoritarian regimes which do not share our values”:
She will single out a decision by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to visit Beijing in an attempt to persuade Xi Jinping to promote an end to the war in Ukraine as an example.
“Putin and Xi have made it clear they are allies against Western capitalism.
“That is why Western leaders visiting President Xi to ask for his support in ending the war is a mistake. And it is a sign of weakness.
“Instead our energies should go into taking more measures to support Taiwan. We need to make sure Taiwan is able to defend itself. We need to put economic pressure on China before it is too late.”
Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.
It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters
The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.
A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.
Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.
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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.
Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.
Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.
It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.
In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.
Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.
The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP
The award can be presented with or without distinction.
Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.
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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP
The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.
“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.
Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.
“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.
“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.
The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.
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Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.
It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.
“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.
One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.
The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.
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North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.
US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.
They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.
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