It was during an audience question on stage in Beccles, north-east of London on Tuesday evening that former Prime Minister Lizz Truss was surprised, to say the least.
As the former prime minister says that Donald Trump will probably win the US election because “the average American is not well”, a banner slowly falls from the ceiling behind her.
It features the motif of a cabbage head with the words “I crashed the economy”.
Compared to a head of cabbage
The vegetable pictured was a reference to a head of cabbage that the Daily Star live-streamed during her time as Prime Minister in 2022, to see if it rotted before her term ended.
When Liz Truss resigned, just 45 days into the job, the paper declared the head of cabbage the winner. And thus became the person who sat for the shortest time in that post in Great Britain.
The banner’s economy-related slogan was a reference to the Truss government’s proposed tax cuts at a time of rampant inflation, which plunged the British economy into crisis.
“Not funny”
Liz Truss initially didn’t notice the banner but after some in the audience started laughing she saw it and said “it’s not funny”. Then she quickly gathered her notes, took off her microphone and left the stage.
There was a small round of applause as she left.
Liz Truss initially did not comment on the coup, but on Wednesday she published a response to platform X.
“What happened last night was not funny,” she wrote.
– Far-left activists disrupted the event, which then had to be stopped for security reasons. This is done to scare people and suppress freedom of speech. I won’t stand for it.
And continues:
– Would we see the same reaction if the activists were far-right?