Sushi was acceptable, but never packaged sandwiches As long as mayonnaise did not feature, bagels were a staple Truss’s own espresso machine went with her when she changed departments.
Liz Truss’s requests during trips abroad were so exacting they rivalled the outlandish demands of rock star riders on tour, according to a new biography of the former prime minister.
As foreign secretary, orders were sent to embassies around the world of what Truss would expect to be served, excerpts of the book Out of the Blue: the Inside Story of the Unexpected Rise and Rapid Fall of Liz Truss have claimed.
She was particularly picky about coffee, according to the authors, Harry Cole and James Heale.
Truss would expect double espressos served in a flat-whitesized takeaway cup, and the coffee had to be sourced from independent stores, a serialisation of the book printed in the Sunday Times says.
Truss placed a ban on big-brand coffee except when she was in the UK, when she would accept coffee from Pret a Manger.
Cabinet Minister Liz Truss’s Favourite Espresso Machine Moved Around Departments
Truss’s favourite espresso machine was moved from department to department every time she changed jobs in cabinet reshuffles, the book claims.
She also demanded food and other drinks, the book says. Sandwiches had to be freshly prepared as Truss would reject any plastic-packed premade varieties.
For lunch she insisted on bagels or sushi, Cole and Heale write,
but there was to be “absolutely no mayonnaise on anything, ever”.
An ex-staffer told them she would not accept fruit for breakfast.
For overnight stays, a bottle of sauvignon blanc had to be provided in the fridge, the book claims.
Another ex-aide claimed: “Sometimes she could be borderline rude to people.”
Kirsty Buchanan, a former aide, is quoted as saying: “She drinks about 42,000 espressos a day or she used to when I worked for her … She would sit there with a massive meatball sub or eat three croissants for breakfast.
She would carb up; frankly, no woman in her 40s should be eating that much and getting away with it.”
Former aides recalled how Truss would prioritise her social media posts over briefings during foreign trips.
The book also details the lengths Truss went to set up photo ops, including one at the Shibuya pedestrian crossing in Tokyo.
A witness is quoted as saying: “It was so dangerous, there was traffic everywhere and she just kept bowling through it, take after take, even when traffic was still coming.”
