This is the minister supposed to be prompting British business around the world https://t.co/vH1iYbLbRm

— Jim Pickard ? (@PickardJE) September 10, 2016

Yes, Liam Fox really said UK business is too fat and lazy. Here's our exclusive transcript https://t.co/4DwsX7xrNo pic.twitter.com/vOKb9QFitE

— The Times and The Sunday Times (@thetimes) September 10, 2016

The Guardian reports on a Times story

Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, has been attacked by businesspeople and politicians for suggesting British executives would rather play golf rather than export their goods and services, in an extraordinary attack on the country’s “lazy” business culture.

Fox, a former GP and staunch Eurosceptic, told a reception for the Thatcherite group Conservative Way Forward that the UK had grown “too fat” on the successes of previous generations.

Think about it, Liam Fox’s role is to promote UK business in the post Brexit world, and he’s describing those businesses in less than complimentary terms. It is all reminiscent of Gerald Ratner calling his products crap which turned out to sub-optimal for his business. Fox could have couched his words, and said something along the lines of, freed of the yoke of the European Union, UK businesses were going to be the best in the world.

Downing Street has already said ‘Liam Fox’s comments are his personal views, not policy’, I get the feeling Theresa May isn’t the sort of person to suffer fools gladly, I suspect Liam Fox’s latest contribution will not endear him to her. He’s currently 6/1 to be the first to leave the cabinet, I tipped Liam Fox at 10/1 last month to be the first cabinet minister to leave the cabinet, he’s now 6/1, I don’t think he’s value at 6/1. I’ve asked a few bookies to put up a market on Liam Fox not being in the cabinet on the 31st of December 2017, as I expect Mrs May will reshuffle him out of the cabinet when she gets the opportunity.

TSE