UK

Liz Truss storms off stage after being humiliated by lettuce banner prank

Basit Mahmood 

Today
Left Foot Forward

“Liz Truss is on a pro-Trump speaking tour. So we dropped a strategically-positioned remote-controlled lettuce banner.”

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss stormed off stage at an event where she was promoting her book, after a banner featuring a lettuce with the words ‘I crashed the economy’ was unfurled behind her as part of a stunt by a campaign group.

Truss, whose premiership ended in disaster after her mini-budget crashed the economy and sent mortgage costs soaring, was speaking at the event about why she supported President Trump and why Americans were struggling with the economy.

The stunt, carried out by campaign group Led by Donkeys, was a reference to the challenge set by the Daily Star newspaper in October 2022 to see if Ms Truss’s premiership could outlast the shelf life of a head of iceberg lettuce.

Truss was booted out of office after just 49 days, making her the country’s shortest serving Prime Minister in history, with the salad leaves lasting longer than her premiership.

Sitting in a green dress, as the banner was unfurled behind her, Truss told the audience: “I support Trump and I want him to win… But the, it’s what I was saying about incumbents, I think the average American is not doing well.”

As the banner was slowly lowered on the stage behind her, she continued: “I think it was Bill Clinton’s adviser who said ‘it’s the economy stupid’, so I think that he will probably win.”

She hadn’t noticed the banner until someone pointed it out to her, upon which Truss said “that’s not funny”, before collecting her belongings and leaving the stage.

A video of the stunt was shared online by led by Donkeys, with the caption: “Liz Truss is on a pro-Trump speaking tour. So we dropped a strategically-positioned remote-controlled lettuce banner.”

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward