Lettuce’s shelf life appeared to be too much for Liz Truss.
On the same day the British Prime Minister resigned after just six weeks, her main nemesis – a head of lettuce – appears to be as big a story as Truss’ fall from power.
So what’s the story?
Lettuce was pitted against the prime minister by “The Daily Star.” It was purchased at a grocery store for 68 cents,
“Will Liz Truss outlast this lettuce?” the newspaper asked in a live video that has been running since Oct. 14, attracting bounds of viewers and comments on social media.
The lettuce gag was inspired by The Economist, which noted on Oct. 11 that between Truss’ struggles and the days of mourning after Queen Elizabeth II died, her grip on power amounted to a week, or “roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce.”
“The lettuce outlasted Liz Truss,” the video declared. Minutes later, a remix of “Celebration” by Kool & the Gang set the mood.
Prior to the resignation, the conservative-backing tabloid “The Sun” called her “a ghost PM” and said “for the sake of the country, we cannot go on like this.” The left-leaning “Guardian” compared the conservatives to a mutinous ship’s crew, saying “Truss has not left her party. But it appears to have left her.”
After “The Economist” said Truss’ time in control of the government — before the Sept. 23 “mini-budget” that set the markets aflame — was “roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce,” the “Daily Star” set up a livestream featuring a photo of the prime minister beside a head of iceberg, adorned with a blond wig, eyes and a mouth. It asked “Can Liz Truss outlast this lettuce?”
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
