Why the ‘ThickLizzie’ slur is so stupid

There's a funny thing about humans: when we want to help people, we often end up hurting them — and vice-versa. Take the ‘ThickLizzie’ hashtag that has been trending on social media. The new Prime Minister is, according to large numbers of Tory-loathers, a moron.

There is an undercurrent of sexism here, yes. There’s also an overcurrent of stupidity. It’s just clearly not true. Truss may not be the most dynamic public speaker. She can be awkward. She may have poor judgment. She may turn out to be a disaster as Prime Minister.

But thick? How many of the people calling her stupid on Twitter today got into Oxford to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics? A lot of people turn their noses up at PPE as the breeziest Oxbridge subject for the political class. But it’s not exactly politics for dummies, is it?

Truss got the same degree — a 2:1 — as Boris Johnson and from the same university. She is also, unlike Johnson, a keen mathematician. Her father was a maths professor and she did further maths at A level. She enjoys mental arithmetic. She was interested in technical aspects of government policy from a young age and wrote detailed papers for think-tanks.

If she is nerdy it is in fact precisely because she isn’t dumb. She works hard, which is not a sign of limited intelligence. She can lack a certain verbal spark, although as she showed at PMQs yesterday she is perfectly capable of counter-punching in debate. The overall picture is of an intelligent albeit often awkward woman.

Yet the most idiotic part about calling Truss thick is that the slur is advantageous to her. The most effective political insults tend to be grounded in some truth. Calling Truss dim is to underestimate her. The average voter is shrewd enough to spot a nasty mischaracterisation. Enthusiasm for Truss will stem from a growing sense that the new Prime Minister’s enemies are cruel and spiteful and she’s just trying to get on with the job. That’s already happening.