The sound of moralising was in the air this morning, as Steerpike emerged bleary-eyed from his hangover. Is it Sunday already? No, just the standard self-righteous squawking from the usual suspects of the left. Today’s topic of sanctimonious one-upmanship? Leaked comments made by Liz Truss on the need for British workers to show ‘more graft’. Grab the smelling salts!

When where these comments made? Yesterday, in the face of the baying mob outside the Tory hustings? Last month when she unveiled her plan to get Britain out of the economic mire? No, er, back in the heady days of Theresa May’s government when Truss was Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Her full comments, reported by Mirror scoop queen Pippa Crerar in her first big Guardian splash, concern Britain’s century-long productivity problem. Truss says;

There’s a slight thing in Britain about wanting the easy answers. That’s my reflection on the election and what’s gone before it, and the referendum – we say it’s all Europe that’s causing these huge problems … it’s all these migrants causing these problems. But actually what needs to happen is more … more graft. It’s not a popular message.

Certainly not a popular message, judging from the histrionics Mr S has seen today. Lisa Nandy has labelled Truss’s comments a ‘total disgrace’; Jon Ashworth has said they’re ‘offensive rubbish.’ Yet as saner voices like Robert Colvile of the Centre for Policy Studies points out ‘it doesn’t seem terribly controversial to point out that Britain has a massive regionalised productivity problem’ adding that it is ”Slightly depressing that our great big problem is a lack of growth and productivity but heaven forbid you talk about it because you might hurt someone’s feelings.’

For her part, Truss has stood her ground, telling STV ‘What we need in this country is more productivity and we need more economic growth.’ Given the leanings of the Tory membership, Mr S suspects such a leak could actually help Truss, rather than hurt her, in winning their votes.

If the Guardian want to stop Truss before she’s even started, they might have to find better stuff than that…