When Liz Truss pulled out of The Oldie Literary Lunch, leading classicist author, Daisy Dunn, stepped in.

Daisy, who wrote the Ladybird guide to Homer, has just written 'The Missing Thread', which is a new history of the ancient world through women.

Daisy set the record straight that in no way was this a history, where she had shoehorned 'some girls into the grand narrative of ancient history for the sake of equality and branding it woke, to which I respond ladies and gentleman, I write for The Spectator'.

Following Geoffrey Wheatcroft's speech, Daisy told the audience:

'You will notice that I'm not Liz Truss either, for which I'm sorry. Or maybe I'm not.'

Daisy met Liz Truss for the first time 'about 9 months after she left Downing Street or to put it another way, about 10 months after she arrived at Downing Street and she was actually very friendly so I am sort of sorry not to see her in some respects.'

Daisy came to The Oldie lunch thinking of something that Liz had once said that 'nobody wants to be in a room, or their business to be funded, because they are a woman. Of all the things that Liz Truss has said, I happen to agree with that one'.