Prime Minister Liz Truss has finally resigned in a glorious victory for the Daily Star’s lettuce.
Truss, who has lost the race to see if she could outlast our 60p vegetable, today (Thursday, October 20) finally gave up on her attempt to cling to power after days of chaos at Westminster.
It came after 1922 committee chair Graham Brady went to visit the PM at Downing Street earlier today and 16 MPs publicly called for her to step down.
Speaking outside Number 10, the PM said: “I came into office at a time of great economical and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.
You can watch the Daily Star’s lettuce claim it’s victory below.
“Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the whole security of our continent and our country has been held back too long on economic growth. I was elected to change this.
“We delivered on energy bills and cutting national insurance, we set out our vision for low tax and a huge growth economy. I recognise though given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.
(Image: REUTERS)
“I have spoken to the King to notify him I am resigning. I met the chair of the 1922 committee and we agreed a leadership election will be completed in the next week to deliver our country’s economic stability. I will remain as PM until my successor has been chosen.”
Suella Braverman jacked in her job as Home Secretary yesterday afternoon after apparently sending a work-related confidential email from her personal account.
The House of Commons then descended into farce later in the day when the Government won a vote on fracking – but only after allegations of bullying in the voting lobbies amid reports some Tory MPs were reduced to tears behind the scenes.
It was then reported that Chief Whip Wendy Morton and her deputy Craig Whittaker had walked out, but after hours of confusion Number 10 said they remained in post.
But as the number of Tory MPs publicly calling for the hapless PM to quit turned into a flood this morning, Truss finally threw in the towel after senior backbencher Sir Graham Brady told her that her position was untenable.
(Image: Humphrey Nemar)
She becomes the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history.
The chaos of the last few days followed the turmoil inflicted by Truss and her first Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in their shambolic mini-budget, which was announced last month.
After it caused the pound to crash and the Bank of England had to step in to save a number of pension funds, Kwarteng was embarrassingly hauled back from a meeting in Washington to be sacked – and his successor Jeremy Hunt immediately tore up most of the mini-budget.
(Image: PA)
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The Daily Star had been running a competition to see what would happen first – a 60p lettuce decaying or Truss resigning.
Labour’s Chris Bryant, who last night told Sky News he saw Conservative MPs being “bullied” to vote in line with the Government in the fracking vote, today said: “The lettuce might as well be running the country.”
And fortunately for us, and for our sanity, the lettuce has now won.