LONDON — Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss abruptly ended a public event after a banner emblazoned with a giant image of a lettuce was stealthily unfurled behind her.
Activist group Led By Donkeys claimed responsibility for the stunt, which riffs on a tabloid comparison between Truss’ record short stint at No. 10 Downing Street and the tiny shelf life of the popular salad item.
The incident occurred at an event in Suffolk, England as Truss seeks to promote her post-government book.
Footage shows that as Truss discussed her support for former U.S. President Donald Trump and the economic plight of “average Americans,” the banner began to emerge from the back of the stage.
“I think it was Bill Clinton’s adviser who said ‘it’s the economy stupid,’ so I think that he will probably win,” Truss said of Trump as the banner — which read “I crashed the economy” — fully descended.
Clocking the stunt, Truss appeared visibly irritated, saying “that’s not funny” — before removing her microphone and leaving the stage.
Led By Donkeys said in a follow-up post on social media: “Liz Truss is on a pro-Trump speaking tour. So we dropped a strategically-positioned remote-controlled lettuce banner.”
It’s not the first time the group has tried a banner stunt. Earlier this year, Led By Donkeys disrupted a speech by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage — who has questioned NATO’s strategy in Ukraine — with a banner reading “I heart Putin.”
Truss, who was in office for 49 days before being ousted by her party amid market turmoil, became one of the highest-profile casualties of the Conservatives’ recent general election collapse.
The ex-prime minister lost her previously safe seat to Labour, and has since attacked her successor Rishi Sunak for an “abandonment of Conservative principles” and a tendency to “trash” her record.
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