For Liz Truss, there was one final ignominy after her premiership came crashing down in six catastrophic weeks: she was outlasted by a lettuce.
Ms Truss has been in a race with the rotting vegetable since The Economist remarked on October 11 that her shelf life was proving shorter than that of a lettuce.
In a comedy stunt, the Daily Star made the metaphor into reality by setting up a live stream of a head of lettuce, decorated with a wig, next to a photo of Ms Truss.
“Will Liz Truss outlast this lettuce?,” was the strapline for seven days as Ms Truss's authority spectacularly collapsed.
After Ms Truss announced her resignation, her photo was placed face down, “God Save The King” rang out and the strapline read: “This lettuce outlasted Liz Truss”.
A plate of tofu was added to the table this week after former home secretary Suella Braverman launched a bizarre attack on the “tofu-eating wokerati” she said were behind climate protests.
The stunt provided some comic relief for Britons as they watched their government fall to pieces for the second time in the space of four months.
“The lettuce beat Liz for longevity,” said opposition Labour MP Stella Creasy, one of several politicians to join in the joke.
“Britain deserves so much better. We must have a general election now and give the public a say in how to fix this mess,” she said.
Former Conservative MP Alistair Burt also responded to the joke in good humour, saying: “I think we are very lucky to live in a country where the people live-stream a lettuce rather than march on Parliament.”
Liz Truss resigns — in pictures
The Economist's article was titled “The Iceberg Lady”, a parody of the “Iron Lady” moniker applied to Ms Truss's favourite predecessor, Margaret Thatcher.
Ms Truss's departure, expected in the next week once a new Tory leader is chosen, will make her the shortest serving prime minister in British history.
Appointed on September 6, she oversaw the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II but never recovered from a disastrous mini-budget that alienated voters, MPs and investors.
The previous shortest-serving Prime Minister, George Canning, died in office in 1827 after 119 days in power.
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Sri Lanka squad for tri-nation series
Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Wanidu Hasaranga
England squad
Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dominic Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B