Liz Truss held a meeting with ministerial aides known as “parliamentary private secretaries” in Downing Street this morning.
The role of PPS is unpaid, but it’s considered an important stepping stone for ambitious MPs. The job is essentially to be the eyes and ears of a minister in parliament, feeding back concerns from backbenchers. Many of those in the meeting this morning were first elected in 2019 and could be under serious threat of losing their seats the next time the UK goes to the polls. In the dying days of Boris Johnson’s premiership, a large number of PPSs resigned, hastening his departure. So they can be a powerful force.
However, one of the MPs present denied that the talks with the current prime minister were designed to shore up support. They told me the meeting was “pre-planned” and the mood was “calm.”
