Truss accused of bungling bid to oust Labour peer from role

LIZ TRUSS has been accused of breaking “the first rule of politics” after the UK’s failed bid to oust a Labour peer as Commonwealth chief.

A source said the Foreign Secretary had told Boris Johnson and Cabinet colleagues that Kamina Johnson Smith, the candidate Britain backed to take over as secretary general of the Commonwealth, “would defeat Baroness Scotland”, a former Labour minister.

The source, a colleague of Ms Truss added: “She said her candidate had secured 22 votes and Scotland had 10. First rule of politics: learn to count.”

In the event, Lady Scotland attracted 27 votes from the Commonwealth’s 54 member states, compared with Ms Johnson Smith’s 24.

But allies of Ms Truss, who is seen as a frontrunner to succeed Mr Johnson, hit out at sniping from colleagues.

A source close to the Foreign Secretary added: “You would think the focus of whoever briefed this should be things like cost of living and growing the economy, not briefing against a loyal minister.

“It’s a strange and unfair briefing against Liz. That week she delivered a big majority in the Commons on the Northern Ireland Protocol ... She doesn’t control how other Commonwealth members vote.”

In an unusual move, Mr Johnson publicly lent his support to Ms Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s foreign minister, as the UK’s preferred candidate for Commonwealth secretary general, in May.

She was standing against Lady Scotland, a former Labour minister, who was running for a second term.

The UK’s endorsement of a rival followed rumours that the Government had been trying to unseat Lady Scotland.

Her victory is said to have come down to four hours of last-minute wrangling and “back-room deals”.

The talks resulted in the peer agreeing to serve for only another two years – half the usual four-year term. By convention, incumbents in the job are re-elected unopposed if they stand for a second term.