What foreign policy would look like under a PM Truss

When Tom Tugendhat announced he was backing Liz Truss for prime minister, his former supporters were dismayed. He was the candidate for the ‘One Nation’ caucus of moderate MPs, who defined themselves against the Tory right. ‘Anyone but Truss’ was their mantra – and they lined up behind Rishi Sunak. Yet here was their former poster boy supporting their nemesis. What could Truss and Tugendhat possibly have in common? The answer can be summed up in a word: China.

For better or worse, Truss is an instinctive politician. On foreign affairs, she was held back by Boris Johnson, who was more cautious on China. If she becomes prime minister, which looks likely, she would spend more on defence and take a more muscular stance against aggressors. It’s a pitch that’s already won over Defence Secretary Ben Wallace; Penny Mordaunt, his predecessor; and Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

As the public imagines what life would be like under a Prime Minister Truss, it’s on foreign affairs that we have the clearest idea. Since entering the Foreign Office in September she has earned a reputation for her love of Instagram, her dislike of groupthink and her diplomacy via karaoke. But most importantly, she has established her own framework on foreign affairs, which she refers to as the ‘network of liberty’. She divides the world into friends – and enemies -– of liberty.

Rather than focusing on relations with western neighbours or long-established allies, she thinks the UK should be open to working with like-minded, free-trading partners around the world who are willing to prioritise the defence of democracy. ‘Call it geo-liberalism,’ says a supporter.