Lettuce recall: Liz Truss’s most shameless moments since leaving office

Labour is in power, and things are finally looking up – or so we hope. No matter what you think of Keir Starmer and the new Labour government, we can breathe a sigh of relief that we are not reliving the nightmare from two years ago. Remember September 6, 2022? After a painfully drawn-out two-month Tory leadership contest, Liz Truss stepped into Boris Johnson’s shoes as prime minister, having managed to woo the Tory membership with her economic plans.

What followed was a calamitous chapter for the Conservative Party, and the country, with Truss becoming the butt of a ‘wilting lettuce’ joke.  And let’s not forget the lasting damage from her infamous mini-budget, which still haunts us today with higher borrowing costs, soaring mortgage rates, and economic uncertainty.

Most of us would crawl under a rock for eternity, but not our shortest-serving prime minister. If there’s one thing Liz Truss completely lacks, is any sense of shame. Since leaving office, she has deflected blame onto the Bank of England, the Treasury, and the Office for Budget Responsibility for the economic chaos that marred her premiership. Even after losing her seat in the July general election – becoming the first former prime minister to suffer such a defeat since 1935 – Truss remains unapologetic. Here are some of the most remarkable and brazen moments from Liz Truss since her brief 49-day stint at No. 10.

Refuses to apologise while blaming others  

In a 6,300-word speech at the Institute for Government a year on from her disastrous mini-budget, Truss twice refused to apologise to the families burdened by soaring mortgage rates. Instead, she continued to shift the blame onto others. She claimed: “Interest rates were going to go up anyway, the real failure was not to tell people years and years ago that interest rates were artificially low,” and that officials and watchdogs stood in her way, whining that politicians have “responsibility but no power.”

Truss further stood by her controversial position on raising the pension age and called for a pause on Net Zero targets, stating: “If there’s one thing we should be doing, it’s reducing the cost for households” The irony in this declaration completely eluded her.

She also harshly criticised the former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, who accused her of turning the UK into “Argentina on the Channel”.

“There’s a lot of finger pointing going on by people like Mark Carney because they don’t want to acknowledge their culpability,” she said.

Following her speech, Lib Dem Treasury Spokeswoman Sarah Olney said: “Liz Truss’ refusal to apologise to the families who have seen their finances ruined by her botched budget shows just how out of touch she is. To rub salt in the wound, Truss and her fellow Conservative ministers pocketed thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ cash in handouts after causing an economic car crash and fleeing the scene of the crime.”

PopCon falters before it even begins

In February this year, yet another rebellious Conservative faction emerged – Liz Truss’s Popular Conservatism, or ‘PopCon.’ The group offers little that distinguishes it from the many other factions within the Tory Party. On climate issues, it holds a similar position to the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, which wants to ‘ramp up fossil fuel production at home,’ and the ERG which supports the Rwanda Bill. PopCon, however, aims to appeal particularly to those who feel “let down and ignored,” a sentiment that, according to the UK in a Changing Europe involves “dredging up Brexit-related divisions and focusing heavily on the idea of ‘taking back control.’”

But even the group’s launch event ended in calamity. Of the four MPs scheduled to speak only two were present, Liz Truss and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Former cabinet minister Ranil Jayawardena pulled after taking a swipe at his fellow panellists, and Simon Clarke, another former cabinet minister, and a staunch Truss supporter, was removed from the lineup by the organisers two weeks before the event after calling for Rishi Sunak’s exit.

Cosies up to Steve Bannon

Later in February, Truss was criticised for sharing a stage with the Donald Trump loyalist and far-right strategist Steve Bannon at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. When talking about the approaching Rochdale by-election, Bannon described Tommy Robinson as a “hero” and Truss appeared to agree with him. “That is correct,” she said. Truss also appeared on Bannon’s podcast show, despite the podcast being found to be the greatest spreader of misinformation over any other US political talk show in a 2023 study. Truss was also criticised for claiming, at the same event, that her brief tenure as prime minister had been undermined by a small group within Whitehall.

Truss’s book flops

Rather than reflecting on the lessons from her time in office, Truss appears more intent on reshaping her narrative and boosting her brand, as painfully evident in her book, Ten Years to Save the West.

A Guardian critic described the book as “one of the most shamelessly unrepentant, petulant, politically and economically jejune, and cliché-ridden books I’ve read.” The book was a commercial failure, selling a mere 2,228 copies in its first few weeks. It debuted on the bestsellers’ list at a dismal number 70, lagging behind RuPaul’s memoir and an air-fryer cookbook. For comparison, David Cameron’s memoirs sold 21,000 copies in their first week, Tony Blair’s autobiography moved 92,000 copies, and Margaret Thatcher’s memoirs are estimated to have sold 500,000 copies.

Storms off stage over lettuce banner prank

Undeterred by poor book sales and still determined to promote her work, in mid-August Liz Truss held a book event in Suffolk. As she discussed the US presidential election and voiced support for Donald Trump, a large banner featuring a picture of a lettuce and the phrase “I crashed the economy” was lowered behind her.

Clearly frustrated, Truss ripped the microphone off her dress and muttered: “That’s not funny.”

The activist group Led By Donkeys orchestrated the prank, referencing the Daily Star’s live-streamed competition to see what would last longer -Truss’s tenure as prime minister or a lettuce. The lettuce won.

In a rant on X following the embarrassing incident, Truss accused the group of being “far-left activists” who used the stunt to “intimidate people and suppress free speech.” But her lecture on free speech was met with criticism, with many pointing out that the prank was simply an exercise of the very free speech Truss claims to support.

Submits formal complaint over Labour’s mention of the ‘mini-budget’

When it comes to advocating for free speech – but only the kind you agree with – Liz Truss certainly takes the crown. In July, documents published in the King’s Speech mentioned her disastrous mini-budget three times. One reference was tied to the Budget Responsibility Bill, which promised to “deliver on the manifesto commitment to introduce a ‘fiscal lock’ to ensure that the mistakes of Liz Truss’s mini-budget cannot be repeated.” Another cited the Institute for Government, which stated: “Rachel Reeves has made welcome moves to improve fiscal policymaking—Liz Truss’s autumn mini-budget is a lesson in how not to do fiscal policy.”

Offended by the references, Truss went so far as to submit a formal complaint to the UK’s top civil servant. In a letter to Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, which Truss shamelessly posted on X, she wrote: “Not only is what is stated in the document untrue … but I regard it as a flagrant breach of the civil service code, since such personal and political attacks have no place in a document prepared by civil servants – an error made all the more egregious when the attack is allowed to masquerade in the document among ‘key facts.’”

Needless to say, the post was met with ridicule. “You really have lost the plot, you have never once taken responsibility for your actions. Not once,” one X user commented.

Heckled and booed at Edinburgh Fringe

Liz Truss once again tried to defend her mini-budget, this time in Scotland – a predictably unwise move, given her unpopularity north of the border, where she is nearly as disliked as Boris Johnson. During a Fringe event, Truss was interviewed by presenter Matthew Stadlen. When asked to apologise for the damage she caused while in office, she was reportedly met with boos after accusing the audience member of only caring about “trading political insults,” which she claimed was the reason the country is in turmoil.

‘Liv Truss’ is a hit in Edinburgh

While the real Liz Truss faced heckling and boos in Edinburgh, a comedian’s parody of her was a hit at the Fringe Festival. Nerine Skinner debuted her show, The Exorcism of Liz Truss, after her online parody character ‘Liv Truss’ gained millions of views online. Skinner created the character after friends pointed out her resemblance to the former MP. She admitted that she wasn’t aware of Truss until the politician became nationally prominent. “I was jealous of Liz [Truss] in the first place because we look quite like each other, I thought she was doing a better job at comedy than I was… it was a real shock when I realised she was actually a politician,” she said.

Book alleges that as PM, Truss considered scrapping cancer treatment

A new biography by historian Sir Anthony Seldon alleges that, as prime minister, Liz Truss considered cutting cancer treatment on the NHS in a desperate attempt to address the economic fallout from her mini-budget. The book, entitled How Not to Be a Prime Minister, offers a scathing critique of Truss and her time in office. According to the biography, adviser Alex Boyd claimed that Truss and then-Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng believed they could close the budget deficit with drastic cuts, including possibly ending cancer treatment on the NHS. Aides reportedly said Truss had “lost the plot,” as she was heard shouting at staff, “We’ve got to find the money,” according to excerpts first published in the Independent. In the interest of balance and to show some objectivity even when it comes to Liz Truss, it has been suggested that the cancer story was contained in a ‘blue sky’ list of possible cuts prepared for her. Ending NHS cancer treatment is consistent with the bonkers nature of her brief administration though.

Urges Republicans to learn lessons from her No 10 tenure

This might be one of Liz Truss’s most audacious moves yet. Following her loss of the South West Norfolk seat in the general election and with no parliamentary duties to hold her back, Truss jetted off to the US to witness Donald Trump being officially named the Republican presidential nominee. Becoming weirdly vocal about US politics, she addressed Republican supporters at a Republican Convention and urged them to take lessons from her short-lived time as prime minister. “I’ve learned how powerful the unelected bureaucracy is. You have to win in November … you have to dismantle the leftist state … they are devious, they are ruthless, and they are out to get you,” she said.

Her speech took an even weirder turn when she started talking about a Liberty Bell showerhead. The Liberty Bell, a famous Philadelphia landmark, symbolises American independence from Britain. Truss informed the audience that she owned a replica of the showerhead that President Reagan had at his California ranch, which she had recently visited. “And I will be proudly installing this shower head as a symbol of liberty and democracy and of course Pennsylvania because you all know why you’re so important, which is this is a crucial state in order for President Trump to be reinstalled in the White House.”

Liz Truss appears determined not only to rewrite her own story but also to export her brand of chaotic governance across the Atlantic. Whether Republicans will embrace or dismiss her advice, it is another strange episode in Truss’s post-Downing Street career.

Right-Wing Media Watch – ‘The Lady’s not for turning,’ well it seems she is

Picture this. You’re trying to focus on your work, but looming above you is Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady herself, staring down with that steely gaze. Sir Keir Starmer had clearly had enough of this intense Thatcherite surveillance while working in the study at No.10, so much so, that he asked for the portrait to be relocated to another room. The move, of course, sent the Conservative camp and their media allies into a full-blown meltdown.

The PM’s biographer Tom Baldwin broke the news, saying Starmer found the portrait “unsettling.” The Daily Mail thought it was so outrageous that it devoted its front page to the story.

“Gesture of astonishingly petty vindictiveness against a political giant – by PM of just 7 weeks,” read the lead story. The truly beside itself Mail called in the Tory big guns like John Redwood, the right-wing veteran and former head of Thatcher’s policy unit. Redwood accused Starmer of being “pessimistic, negative, and nasty.” He gleefully told the Mail: “I’m not at all surprised he’s done this. He wouldn’t want to be embarrassed by comparison with a far better prime minister.”

The Daily Telegraph also jumped into the fray, with Tories lining up to express their horror. They wailed that Starmer’s move proved he had “no respect for our history.” Iain Duncan Smith labelled Starmer as “petty” and accused him of throwing “red meat to his hard Left.”

Later in the week, the right-wing media triumphantly reported that Starmer had “bowed to pressure,” with No 10 announcing the portrait had been relocated to a meeting room on the first floor. But even that wasn’t enough for diehard Thatcherites. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who as a 12-year-old boy reportedly dreamed of becoming prime minister and professed his admiration for Margaret Thatcher, led the outcry, insisting: “The portrait should be returned to its rightful place in the study where she worked. It was a spiteful, petty decision by Sir Keir which he should have the grace to reverse as quickly as possible.”

What makes the whole saga even more bizarre is that the portrait was actually commissioned by a Labour prime minister – Gordon Brown, no less, back in 2009. To add another twist, Rees-Mogg’s father, William, attended the unveiling ceremony, presided over by Brown.

Now, here’s an interesting thought – what if Starmer had replaced Thatcher’s portrait with one of Clement Attlee? The uproar from the Conservatives might have been loud enough to shake Big Ben. As for Thatcher’s portrait, it might have found a new home in No 10, but the debate over her legacy – and where she should or shouldn’t be hanging – rages on.

Woke-bashing of the week – Carole Malone’s woke witch-hunt targets Newcastle University

Carole Malone, GB News presenter and Daily Express columnist, has been at it again, getting herself wound in her ongoing culture war crusade.

One such rant saw Malone aim for none other than Kathy Burke, a much-loved semi-national treasure. Burke’s alleged offence? Using the so-called “foul and filthy language of the woke.” Granted, Burke’s salty vocabulary may have contributed to her legendary status, but treating “wokeness” as a crime? That’s about as plausible as accusing someone of witchcraft in the 21st century.

More recently, the outspoken host took a swing at the supposed evils of ‘woke’ universities, venting fury over Newcastle University’s supposed suggestion that staff stop using the Geordie term ‘pet’ after it was deemed off-limits due to equality and inclusion. For Malone, this is nothing short of linguistic heresy. During a discussion on the apparent ban on GB News, the host proudly reminded everyone that she’s from Newcastle – even though her accent seems to have gone missing somewhere along the way.

“They’re taking out our vernacular, the words that we have grown up with and loved,” she pronounced. “I said to somebody, there’s a word for these people who do that. It’s a Geordie word, so I can say it, and it’s Doylem. It means idiots. Leave our language alone. It’s beautiful, it’s warm, it’s not patronising,” she told the eagerly nodding panel of guests.

GB News, naturally, was quick to inform its readers of Malone’s outburst, with the headline: “Leave our language alone! Carol Malone unleashes furious rant over WOKE university banning the word ‘pet.'”

But before we start mourning the death of Geordie slang, the university itself stepped in to clarify that no, they’re not the language police. They just want to support more inclusive language, as their researchers had requested. Seems reasonable?

Malone’s tirade is of course just another depressing chapter in the ongoing saga of “woke-bashing” where anything that smells even faintly of progress or inclusivity gets labelled as a threat to the fabric of society.

But if Newcastle University’s gentle nudge towards inclusive language is considered woke, then maybe the real question is: Why are “woke” universities doing more to adapt and engage with modern society than some of their more conservative critics?

In the battle of ideas, it seems the so-called woke institutions are the ones leading the charge, leaving the right to rage against the modern world while clinging to their outdated vocabulary like it’s a life raft.

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