Elizabeth was interviewed by Mark D'Arcy on BBC Radio 4's "Today in Parliament", 4th June 2010

Extracts below:

Mark D'Arcy:  [Your maiden speech] is an ordeal you are yet to undergo?

Elizabeth Truss:  Yes, I am indeed preparing my maiden speech.  I'm planning to speak in the Economic Affairs debate next week, talking about the growth agenda for Norfolk, specifically about how we need to improve education and transport links, so I am spending a lot of time in the Library at the moment.

Mark D'Arcy:  In your previous incarnation in the think tank Reform, which looked at ways to reform the public services, you probably rather admired David Laws, the departed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, for all the policy work he had done.  How serious a blow is his departure from that absolutely key post controlling public expenditure?

Elizabeth Truss:  There's no doubt he is a loss and I am very sad personally that he's gone.  We've moved forward with Danny Alexander in the role of Chief Secretary.  We were only talking this morning with Simon Wright [Liberal Democrat MP for Norwich South] about how we can work across Norfolk to actually make sure the East of England doesn't suffer from any changes that might take place in the Budget.  We are going to have a delegation to Danny Alexander so we will work forward on that basis.

Mark D'Arcy:  Did it send tremors through the coalition?

Elizabeth Truss:  No, it didn't.  The coalition has held firm.  The political and economic reform that we want to achieve is still very much on the agenda and we do have the key people we need to do that.  I think what happened to David Laws was partly about the way the media took him on and I think that's a shame; I do hope he will come back.  But it's more than one individual; it's about a group of people who want to do positive things.  We know Britain is in trouble - one of the advantages about not yet having an office  is that you can meet Ministers in the corridor and talk to them about what needs to be done.  There is a real sense of purpose and we are getting on with the job.

Mark D'Arcy: What do you think is going to be the next big Parliamentary/political pressure point that you're going to be facing?

Elizabeth Truss:  Well, I think the pressures around the Government are actually going to come on the financial side, because we have got the biggest budget deficit since the Second World War.  We need to deal with that.  There are going to be difficult decisions.  I think at the moment there is an appetite for political reform.  We do have different views from the Liberal Democrats, but I think we can be grown-up about it.  We will have a referendum; I'll be campaigning against AV, but there are other people who will be campaigning for it - fair enough.  I think it comes down to the money.

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