Lettuce outlasts the Prime Minister as Truss resigns after 44 days
A live stream started by the Daily Star has been tracking whether a lettuce would outlast the Prime Minister.
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Your support makes all the difference.A lettuce that has been recorded on a live stream has officially lasted longer than the Prime Minister.
Liz Truss issued her resignation on Thursday afternoon after only 44 days as leader of the country.
She is set to become the shortest serving Prime Minister in history after a chaotic week in the Conservative Party.
A live stream, created by the Daily Star, asked the question “Which wet lettuce will last longer?”, referring to the Prime Minister and an actual lettuce.
The stunt, which began on October 14, was inspired by a column in The Economist which referred to the Prime Minister as an “iceberg lady” and said she had “the shelf-life of a lettuce”.
A day before Truss resigned, the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon, also referenced the lettuce.
Baroness Smith said: “We’ve also seen damage to the Prime Minister, who has lost the confidence of the public, of Parliament and of course of her own party.
“How embarrassing is it when, across the world, the media picks up on The Economist editorial that says the Prime Minister’s likely shelf life is shorter than that of a lettuce.”
The video originally showed a picture of Ms Truss next to an analogue clock, and a lettuce.
Very shortly after Ms Truss’s resignation, the lettuce had a blonde wig placed on it, and the framed image of the PM was placed face down on the desk as various celebratory songs played.
Disco lights shone and a mini bottle of pink prosecco, a full glass and a miniature Gordons gin surrounded the lettuce.
A fake breaking news alert reading “Breaking: The lettuce will make a speech to the nation at a time TBC” ran across the bottom of the stream, imitating a news channel.
Social media users flocked to their screens to congratulate the lettuce when Ms Truss resigned.
Immediately after Ms Truss resigned, @midsomlaura wrote: “Lettuce for PM” on Twitter and @SaintMcfc posted: “I was alive when a lettuce fought and won against the British prime minister”.
Twitter user @nathansrith wrote: “Good of Liz to no longer romaine in power, however, this is just the tip of the iceberg”.
News outlets from around the world have also been following the live stream, including in Bangkok, Sweden and Australia.
A new leader is to be announced by the Tory party before October 31.