Liz Truss lettuce facts for kids
On 14 October 2022, the British newspaper Daily Star started a livestream. It showed an iceberg lettuce next to a photo of Liz Truss. At the time, Liz Truss was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This happened after an article in The Economist newspaper. That article compared how long Truss might be Prime Minister to how long a lettuce stays fresh.
Just weeks into her job, a big political problem started in October 2022. Many people thought Truss would have to resign soon. She announced she was stepping down as Prime Minister on 20 October 2022. The lettuce had not wilted yet. Because of this, the Daily Star said the lettuce had "won" against Truss.
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What Started It All?
Liz Truss became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 6 September 2022. She took over from Boris Johnson. On 23 September, her government released a plan called the "mini-budget." This plan included big tax cuts. However, it did not include matching cuts in government spending.
This mini-budget caused a huge negative reaction in the financial markets. The value of the pound sterling (British money) dropped a lot. Pension funds, which manage people's retirement savings, almost went bankrupt.
After just over a month in office, the person in charge of the mini-budget was removed. This happened on 14 October. Truss then changed most of the economic plans from the mini-budget. Many British news outlets criticized Truss's actions. They believed she would resign very soon.
On 11 October, The Economist newspaper wrote about Truss. They said she had caused economic and political trouble in just seven days. This was after taking out the ten days of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. They compared this short time to "the shelf-life of a lettuce." They even called her the "Iceberg Lady." This was a contrast to "Iron Lady," a nickname for former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
The Famous Lettuce Livestream
Denis Mann, an editor at the Daily Star, read the article in The Economist. On 14 October, he told his chief editor, Jon Clark, about it. Clark thought it was a great idea. That same day, the newspaper's video team began a livestream. It showed an iceberg lettuce next to a picture of Liz Truss. They asked viewers if Truss would stay in power longer than the lettuce.
The Daily Star hosted the livestream on YouTube. Its title was "LIVE: Can Liz Truss outlast a lettuce?". The newspaper often made fun of current political events. The lettuce was bought from a Tesco store for £0.60. It was expected to stay fresh for about ten days. The lettuce was kept at the home of one of the newspaper's video editors. Within five hours, the stream had over 50,000 likes. By the next day, over 350,000 people had watched it.
On 18 October 2022, the newspaper ran a funny headline. It said "Lettuce Liz on Leaf Support." This was a play on words for "life support." As the livestream continued, the lettuce got some fun additions. It had googly eyes and a blonde wig. Later, fake feet, hands, and glasses were added. Some crackers and a mug that said "Keep Calm and Carry On" were also placed around the lettuce.
Before the lettuce wilted, Liz Truss announced her resignation. This happened on 20 October. She became the shortest-serving prime minister in British history. At that moment, 12,000 people were watching the livestream. Soon, the number jumped to 21,000 viewers. The British national anthem, "God Save the King," began to play. The picture of Truss was turned face down. A plastic golden crown was placed on the lettuce. The Daily Star announced the lettuce's "victory" over Truss.
Later, the music changed to "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang. A Greggs sausage roll and a glass of prosecco also appeared on the table. The lettuce had not completely rotted. However, it did show some signs of changing color. By the evening of Truss's resignation, the livestream had been watched over 1.7 million times. That same evening, a picture of the lettuce was shown on the Palace of Westminster. The Daily Star then tweeted that the lettuce "has made it to parliament."
How People Reacted
Before Truss Resigned
People around the world found the comparison of Truss to a lettuce very funny. The Washington Post newspaper wrote that Truss had become "the butt of quintessentially British jokes." People even started betting on the lettuce. Bookmakers, who take bets, said Truss had a low chance of staying longer than the lettuce.
After Truss Resigned
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After Truss resigned, the Daily Star published a headline on 20 October. It said "Lettuce wins as Liz Leafs." On 21 October, they released a special "historic souvenir edition." Its headline was "Lettuce rejoice." A betting company called Paddy Power even offered odds that the lettuce would become the next prime minister. The Daily Star also put the lettuce on Cameo. This allowed people to get a personalized message "by the lettuce" for £13. Part of the money went to charity.
Labour Party politician Chris Bryant said on Sky News that "the lettuce might as well be running the country." Other journalists agreed with this statement. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev posted a funny tweet congratulating the lettuce. Several companies, like Lidl and Deliveroo, also made jokes about the lettuce in their ads.
In Rishi Sunak's first time answering questions as Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer made a joke. He said Sunak had lost the first leadership contest to Truss. He then added that Truss herself was "beaten by a lettuce."
Jon Clark, the editor of the Daily Star, said in an interview that his staff had "no plans to eat Lizzy Lettuce."
Similar Events
On 14 October, Channel 5 presenter Jeremy Vine started a similar livestream. It also compared a lettuce to Truss's time as Prime Minister. Many brands, like easyJet and Sekonda, also created advertisements. These ads made fun of Liz Truss's short time in office.
