Liz Truss is “horrified” to have included a false, antisemitic quote attributed to the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty in her newly released memoir-cum-conservative manifesto.
Biteback Publishing, which printed the memoir, has apologised for the line’s inclusion and promised to strike it from any future editions.
The Board of Deputies said they had written to Biteback to complain about the line that appeared in Ten Years to Save the West, the former prime minister’s cri de coeur against “fashionable ideas propagated by the global left”.
In the book, Truss wrote: “If only the words attributed to Mayer Amschel Rothschild of the famous banking family had been heeded: ‘Permit me to issue and control the money of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.’”
According to writer Dorian Lynskey, the fictitous quotation was in fact invented by Gertrude Coogan, “a Rothschild-obsessed antisemite who claimed ‘the World is ruled by the International Money Masters.’”
Today, the Board of Deputies said Truss’s staff had told them the former leader had believed the quote to be genuine and was “horrified” to learn of its true origin.
"She entirely agrees with the UK publisher's decision to remove this quote from the ebook and any future print editions. We are following up to ensure that her team requests similar removal from English-language publications abroad, as well as any potential foreign language editions,” they added.
Responding to an email from the Board of Deputies, a staff member at Truss’s publisher said: “Biteback is fundamentally opposed to antisemitism in any and all forms.
“I am mortified to learn that this fabricated quote, with such a pernicious origin, was mistakenly cited by the author, and also that it was not identified as such and eliminated in our fact-checking process. I apologise for this error on our part.”
Commenting on Biteback’s statement on X/Twitter, the Board of Deputies thanked Biteback for their “swift response”.
Liz Truss's memoir-cum-manifesto was described as "whingey, wooden and baffling" by The Times (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)Getty Images
A spokesman for Truss, who serves now as the Conservative MP for South West Norfolk, said: “Liz came across the quote and thought it was a useful way of illustrating a point about the Bank of England. Numerous online sources have stated that it was attributed it to Rothschild, so she attributed it thus.”
The Rothschild family regularly appear in antisemitic conspiracy theories that claim they control the world’s banking system.
What is thought to be the earliest mention of the quote used by Truss can be traced to 1908 and is not attributed to anyone.
Research suggests it is a variation of an English proverb that can be traced back two centuries prior.
The proverb the quote is thought to have derived from is: “Let me make the songs [or ballads] of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws.”
The quote has been attributed to Mayer Rothschild at different points in history from 1790 to 1863. Mayer Rothschild died in 1812.
Truss’s book, released this week, has received a poor reception so far Times political columinst Patrick Maguire described it as “whingey, wooden and baffling” while the Guardian characterised it as “unstoppably self-serving” and “petulant”
