After only a mere 44 days days in office, Liz Truss has resigned as Prime Minister. This makes her the shortest serving PM in the United Kingdom's history.
The decision came amidst a disastrous week for the Truss administration that saw both her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and Home Secretary Suella Braverman resign over a myriad of issues and plummeting approval ratings. This all culminated in a vote on fracking that angered Truss' own party to the point where they no longer had any faith in her leadership.
In her brief tenure as Prime Minister, Truss presided over the death of the Queen, left the economy in shambles and alienated most members of the Conservative party. To add insult to injury, she was ultimately outlasted by... a head of lettuce.
Capitalizing on the prime minister's loosening grip of power, The Daily Star started broadcasting a live feed of a head of lettuce purchased at a Tesco for 60 pence next to a picture of Truss, and asked the question, "Will Liz Truss still be Prime Minister within the 10-day shelf-life of a lettuce?"
The UK tabloid was Inspired by a quip from The Economist, which noted that the period between the 10 days of mourning after Queen Elizabeth II died and the beginning of her political downfall lasted about seven days or "roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce." Less than a week after they decided to put that idea to the test, the lettuce has emerged victorious.
Adorned with its own blonde wig, eyes, Mr. Potato Head arms and a haunting grin, the lettuce became an internet celebrity that almost instantly garnered a significant following and its own Cameo account. Celebrating its win over Truss with flashing disco lights and a remix of Kool & the Gang's "Celebration," the lettuce seemed to perfectly encapsulate the absurdity that British politics had devolved into. Many have latched onto the meme as a poignant allegory for Truss' brief tenure.
There were some questions about whether it was actually a head of lettuce and not cabbage, which has a longer shelf life, and some scrutiny over whether The Daily Star had properly kept the vegetable sufficiently cooled to the point where it would still be considered consumable. At the end of the day, though, the fact remains that the lettuce was still left standing.
\u201cI CANT BELIEVE THE LETTUCE FUCKING WON\u201d— maidple bloom (@maidple bloom) 1666269551
\u201cflatmate has just asked me whether i think the lettuce voted leaf or romaine in the brexit referendum and im frankly furious at how funny i found it\u201d— Ben Smoke (@Ben Smoke) 1666272303
\u201cSorry but no way I would\u2019ve resigned before the Daily Star lettuce expired if I was Liz Truss. I\u2019ll be damned if I get shown up by a vegetable in a wig!\u201d— Jason Okundaye (@Jason Okundaye) 1666269727
\u201cthe lettuce\u201d— James Felton (@James Felton) 1666269079
“The Daily Star Lettuce when @trussliz resigns”
\u201cThe Daily Star Lettuce when @trussliz resigns\u201d— Furquan Akhtar (@Furquan Akhtar) 1666254978
\u201cThe lettuce after outlasting Liz Truss\u201d— George Civeris (@George Civeris) 1666283676
\u201cLettuce, shantay you stay. \n\nLiz Truss. You will always have these 45 days of history and chaos. Thank you for the comedy. Sashay, away.\u201d— Bally Singh (@Bally Singh) 1666271048
\u201cWhen a lettuce outlasts a Prime Minister, we have truly reached the endive days\u201d— Jane Merrick (@Jane Merrick) 1666271465
\u201cShe let her party down. She let herself down. But most importantly she lettuce all down.\u201d— Leonardo Carella \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Leonardo Carella \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1666269531
\u201cFriday\u2019s Daily Star: \u201cLettuce rejoice\u201d #tomorrowspaperstoday\u201d— Helena Wilkinson (@Helena Wilkinson) 1666299152
\u201c#LizTrussPM\n\nShe\u2019s gone. Lettuce wins keys to Downing Street\u201d— Sheikh Haidar (@Sheikh Haidar) 1666269407
\u201cThe Daily Star lettuce walking in for her 44 days at number 10\n\u201d— Dom McGovern (@Dom McGovern) 1666271209
Photo via Getty