Liz Truss's book Bank Job imagines UK Mars missions by 2040; reviews are scathing
Liz Truss's new book Bank Job blames the Bank of England for the fallout from her 2022 mini-budget and ends with a 2040 vision that includes Mars missions launched from Britain. The two outlets covering it, Metro and the Guardian, both mock it.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1Liz Truss's new book, Bank Job, ends with a chapter titled '2040' that imagines how Britain would look if she had stayed prime minister, including the line: 'Several missions to Mars have now been launched from Britain's space port.' MetroLC “The final chapter of the book is simply titled ‘2040’, and sets out a vision of how the country would look by the end of the next decade”“She writes: ‘Several missions to Mars have now been launched from Britain’s space port.’” Read at Metro ↗ Left · 1Metro reports that the book argues the disaster after her mini-budget was not her fault. Its full title is 'Bank Job: A Short Book on How the Bank of England Broke the Bond Market and Brought Down the Government'. MetroLC “sets out the reasons why the disaster that followed her infamous mini-budget really wasn’t her fault”“Bank Job: A Short Book on How the Bank of England Broke the Bond Market and Brought Down the Government” Read at Metro ↗ Left · 1According to Metro, the 2040 chapter also envisages repealing the Equality Act, the Human Rights Act and the Climate Change Act. MetroLC “Alongside the repeal of the Equality Act, Human Rights Act and the Climate Change Act” Read at Metro ↗
Left · 1Metro notes that the UK has two spaceports, one of which, Saxavord in Shetland, can support vertical rocket launches. Neither has hosted a launch so far, and going from small satellites to a crewed Mars voyage would need major scaling up. MetroLC “Neither have hosted any launches so far, and it would require a fair bit of scaling up” Read at Metro ↗ Left · 1Truss was prime minister for 49 days in 2022. Metro says inflation passed 10% and the economy fell into crisis during that period. She lost her seat to Labour at the 2024 general election. MetroLC “during which inflation hit over 10%, the economy fell into crisis mode, and Queen Elizabeth II died”“She lost her seat to Labour at the 2024 general election” Read at Metro ↗ Left · 1Bank Job is her second book since leaving office, after Ten Years to Save the West. Metro says reviews have been poor. It quotes a Daily Telegraph reviewer calling it 'the most deranged things I've ever read' and the Financial Times describing its premise as 'as sober, serious and measured as you'd expect from someone who wants to abolish the United Nations'. MetroLC “It was not exactly showered in praise by critics”“Ten Years to Save the West” Read at Metro ↗
Left · 1The Guardian ran a satirical 'digested read' by sketchwriter John Crace, written as a parody of Truss's voice. It is not a factual account of the book's text. It lampoons the book's blaming of the Bank of England, its governor Andrew Bailey, the Treasury and the Office for Budget Responsibility, and it includes a mock 2040 scene with Mars missions. The GuardianLC “She’s back with another book – and it’s a lot like the last one. Our sketchwriter spares you the 100 pages”“The UK will have led two manned miSSIons to Mars with me the coMMander on board the StarSHip PsyCho.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1The parody refers to the Bank of England's sale of £80bn of gilts and Truss's £45bn of unfunded tax cuts. These figures appear in the satirical piece, which does not say whether they are quoted from the book. The GuardianLC “chose to sELL off £80bN of gILts in an Act of unPRECedented QuantitATive TiGHTening”“make £45Bn of UnFunDed TaxCUTS the Verry neXT day” Read at The Guardian ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both left-leaning outlets treat the book mockingly. Metro uses a wry news report built around the Mars claim and the book's poor reviews. The Guardian runs a satirical parody in Truss's voice.
- Emphasis
- The Mars and 2040 vision, the book's blaming of the Bank of England, and critics' hostile reception.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet gives Truss's own response or a defence of the book's argument about the Bank of England and the bond market. No centre or right-leaning outlets covered it.
- Charged language
- “turfed out”“born-again YouTuber”“Maga-style right-wing populism”
- For example
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“the born-again YouTuber slips in a loftier, Musk-esque alternate reality” — Metro
“It was not exactly showered in praise by critics” — Metro
“Digested read, digested: NeVA 4giV. NeVA 4GEt.” — The Guardian
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Truss's new book is called Bank Job and blames the Bank of England for her downfall.
- Truss lasted 49 days as prime minister.
- The book ends with a 2040 vision that includes Mars missions.
Liz Truss person
As relayed by Metro, Truss argues in the book that the Bank of England, not her mini-budget, caused the turmoil that ended her premiership, and she sets out a 2040 vision of Mars missions and repealed legislation. The Guardian's piece is a parody and not her own statement.
“the country’s briefest PM sets out the reasons why the disaster that followed her infamous mini-budget really wasn’t her fault” — Metro
“She writes: ‘Several missions to Mars have now been launched from Britain’s space port.’” — Metro
Left2 articles
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MetroLC ·
Liz Truss claims UK would be flying people to Mars by 2040 if she’d stayed as PM
Dismissive Light, sardonic news report that leads with the Mars claim, sets it against UK spaceport reality, and cites hostile reviews.
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The GuardianLC · · Opinion
‘I, The TrUssTER, will NeveR die’ – Liz Truss’s Bank Job, digested by John Crace
Dismissive Satirical sketch in a caricatured Truss voice that lampoons the book's arguments; opinion, not reporting.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 26 Oct 09:56 First MetroLC Liz Truss claims UK would be flying people to Mars by 2040 if she’d stayed as PM
- 26 Oct 18:46 +8h 50m The GuardianLC ‘I, The TrUssTER, will NeveR die’ – Liz Truss’s Bank Job, digested by John Crace Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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