Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities minister, told the Mail on Sunday her comments reflected “low productivity in the British economy”. He said they “have attracted sensational political criticism but reflect an unfortunate reality in much of the British state”, adding: “This is not good for the government or the public as a whole.” Rees-Mogg has been tipped for a cabinet post in a Truss government – perhaps as trade secretary. Truss’ statements from her time as finance minister in 2017-19 were leaked to the Guardian last week. In the comments, he tried to explain that the lower productivity seen outside London was down to “a matter of mindset and mindset”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “There is a fundamental issue of British work culture,” he said. “Essentially, if we’re going to be a richer country and a more prosperous country, that has to change. But I don’t think people want to change that.” Truss added that there is “a little thing in Britain about wanting easy answers”, before saying: “But actually what needs to happen is more … more graft. It’s not a popular message.” Asked about her remarks this weekend, Truss told the Sun on Sunday: “I’ve always been passionate about helping our country become more successful. I want people to have opportunities. Of course I believe in hard work. “I want our government to be on the side of hard-working people who are creating their own businesses.” Labor said Truss’s comments while she was Chancellor of the Exchequer were “extremely offensive”, saying she had essentially called British workers “lazy”.
