Liz Truss promises focus on ‘less sexy’ transport projects in spending review

Treasury minister Liz Truss has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at her cabinet colleagues as she hit out at politicians telling people what to eat and how much to exercise.

In a speech setting out her priorities for a review of spending in Whitehall, Truss said the government should not be telling “capable citizens” what to do.

In recent months, the government has moved towards banning a range of items – including wood-burning stoves, plastic straws and cotton buds – as part of environmental measures spearheaded by Michael Gove.

Truss said a tour of the country to hear what people want from the spending review confirmed to her the public want spending focused on “core public services” – citing the police, education, roads, defence and the NHS

She added: “The public have little truck with the nanny state or with vanity projects.

“They don’t want their hard-earned cash spent on announcements designed purely to get column inches, or on billboards that brag about the government’s generosity.

“They don’t want to hear that their money is used for corporate subsidies, or to prop up zombie industries, or to be told exactly how much to eat or how much to exercise.”

Speaking at the Onward think-tank, Truss said the spending review – which sets departmental budgets for the period 2020 to 2023 – will focus on the “less sexy projects”, such as transport and road maintenance.

“It was one of the top priorities for people I met. They want the local roads fixed and not to have to sit in a traffic jam. They want a less crowded commute into work. They want the basics sorted,” she said.