Britain is in uproar today as Liz Truss has resigned from her job as prime minister, bringing an end to a 44-day whirlwind of flagging popularity and general British chaos. Her time as prime minister flickered out like a candle. It didn’t even last as long as a head of lettuce. One head of lettuce in particular.
The Daily Mail had set up a live feed of an unrefrigerated iceberg next to a photo of Truss last week, asking “Which wet lettuce will last longer?” It was meant to be a joke, poking fun at Truss’ dismal approval numbers, but it ended up being all too real. 12,000 viewers were on the live feed when Truss announced her resignation, and those numbers jumped to 21,000, according to Reuters, as “God Save the King” sounded over some speakers, a hand reached into frame to tip the photo onto its back and the text “the lettuce has outlasted Liz Truss” flashed on the screen.
The Daily Mail wasn’t alone in its assessment. In fact, disapproval of Truss seems to have briefly united Britain’s political sides. Last week, the Economist described her as having “the shelf-life of a lettuce.”
