Prime Minister Liz Truss may hit all the notes and say the right things, but after over a decade of incompetent Tory governments, her administration is “not credible”, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said at the conclusion of the annual Conservative party conference in Birmingham.

Following one of the shakiest starts to a prime ministership in recent memory, Liz Truss attempted to shore up support for her leadership with a speech to cap off the annual Tory party conference. The speech received some plaudits from commentators and Conservative MPs, with many pointing to her handling of two anti-fracking Green Peace activists as a highlight, enabling her to use the left-wing agitators as a mascot for the “anti-growth coalition” which she claims is standing in the way of Britain’s prosperity.

Heaping praise on the speech, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said that “in rhetorical terms, I loved it,” explaining: “It was all there: smaller state, lower taxes and a passionate defence of the self-employed. She was upbeat, optimistic and spent much more time on the party’s agenda than the failings of the opposition.”

Yet, Mr Farage said that the performance was “too little, too late”, writing in The Telegraph: “If this was the first, not the thirteenth year of Conservative government, I would have given it three cheers. But, despite the change of tone, the promises are just simply not credible.”

Though Liz Truss may profess, and perhaps even believe, in bedrock conservative principles, the chief question facing the prime minister will be if she can actually govern a “Conservative” party that has drifted to the left on a whole host of issues. Indeed, Home Secretary Suella Braverman accused members of the backbench of attempting to stage a “coup” over Truss’ planned cut to the tax rate for those who earn above £150,000 ($180,000) per year from 45 per cent to 40 per cent.

After it became clear that she did not have enough support from within her own party and with mounting pressure from the media, Truss embarrassingly u-turned on the idea.

Noting that the legislation required to actually turn around the dismal economic outlook for the UK will take time to pass through parliament, assuming that she can wrangle the more liberal elements of her party, Mr Farage said that it is likely that it is “all too late for the Conservative party”.

If the multiple crises, from the economy, prospects of winter blackouts, the persistent and growing migrant crisis, and the battles within her own party were not enough, Truss is also facing a crisis in confidence from the British public. Current polling suggests that she is less popular than outside Prime Minister Boris Johnson ever was, with just 14 per cent of the public saying that they have a favourable opinion of the newly installed leader, according to YouGov.

The polling agency fount that her net favourability score has fallen by 28 points over the past two weeks to a dismal negative 59 per cent, compared to Boris Johnson’s lowest level of -53. Truss’ poor score with the public is even fell below far-left former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s lowest level of -55.

While she may have believed that she would have two years to turn around the country before facing the electorate, some within the Tory party, including Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries, have already called on the government to call for an early general election, which in all likelihood would result in the left-wing Labour Party returning to power after a decade spent in opposition.

Commenting on the dismal state of affairs for the new government, Nigel Farage wrote: “We have all been subject to twelve years of Tory misrule. Johnson has handed over a poison chalice of a looming energy disaster, out of control legal and illegal immigration and a low growth, low productivity economy.

“The delegates in the hall may have applauded today, but the truth is the Tory Party itself is a warring tribe filled with hatred and backbiting. They simply don’t deserve to be in office and are headed for electoral disaster. They deserve nothing less — Truss has come too late.”

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