Lettuce romaine calm – London has fallen: How a lettuce outlasted Liz Truss
Lettuce romaine calm – London has fallen.
Well, not quite, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so, given the anarchy coming out of the House of Commons in Britain.
Liz Truss’ tenure as the British prime minister might be over, but we’ll always have the memes to remember her by.
After The Economist wrote about a week ago that Ms Truss’s time as PM had “roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce” the team at the Daily Star tabloid decided to put that theory to the test by live-streaming a $1 head of lettuce to see if it could outlive her premiership.
The lettuce won. And the internet went mad for it.
Tweet from @dailystar
Ms Truss resigned after the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee chair Graham Brady went to visit her at Downing Street and 16 MPs publicly called for her to step down.
“I came into office at a time of great economical and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills,” she said in announcing her departure outside No.10 on Thursday (local time).
“I have spoken to the King to notify him I am resigning.
“I met the chair of the 1922 Committee and we agreed a leadership election will be completed in the next week to deliver our country’s economic stability.
“I will remain as PM until my successor has been chosen.”
Insult was added to injury when the the victorious lettuce had its face beamed onto the walls of the Palace of Westminster that night.
The Daily Star‘s cheeky Truss tribute on the Houses of Westminster. Photo: DailyStar
As you would expect, the resignation of Liz Truss after only 45 days (roughly 1080 hours) in the job has become prime internet fodder.
Tweet from @georgeciveris
It’s worth remembering that during her tumultuous time as PM she was the late Queen Elizabeth’s 15th and final prime minister and the King’s first.
The King seemed surprised she lasted as long as she did.
“So you’ve come back again? Dear, oh dear,” he said when they met for the second time.
Tweet from @chrisshipitv
And who could forget when the Channel Nine commentators mistook her for a “minor royal” at the Queen’s funeral.
Ms Truss’s policies triggered turmoil in financial markets and caused a revolt in her own party after a scrapped plan to cut taxes for the rich.
And all the while the British people have had to keep a stiff upper lip as inflation skyrocketed and cost-of-living pressures spiralled out of control
A recent poll shows Labour leads the Conservatives by 36 points.
Joking aside, we hope greener pastures await Ms Truss.