Liz Truss has resigned as Prime Minister outside 10 Downing Street today - but many viewers were concerned about the whereabouts of 'Hot Podium Guy'. The Prime Minister delivered her official farewell following a calamitous 24 hours for her premiership, which saw a Cabinet minister resign and an open revolt in the Commons.
Just like with Boris Johnson's public goodbye only months earlier, fans of sound engineer 'Hot Podium Guy' expected to see him make another cameo on national TV, sporting his usual black t-shirt and black jeans combo. But instead, two other men were seen deployed for the job, with a few other women getting the wooden lectern in place outside No 10 in a flurry.
Tobias Gough, 39, from Longfield, Kent, first became known as 'Hot Podium Guy' after Twitter users started swooning over his appearance before Theresa May's resignation speech back in 2019. Since then, he's gained an army of adoring fans who watch him in action in delight.
On Twitter, one fan in dispair said: "This is all happening too fast... they haven't even got the hot podium guy out!"
Another wrote: "Where’s that podium guy who everyone was tweeting about last time?"
A third commented: "Downing Street Statement announced for 1.30pm COME ON, PODIUM GUY!!!"
Tobias has been in the business of carrying out sound checks for more than 15 years, but has only recently caught attention when working to ensure Britain's prime ministers can be heard.
In 2019, Mr Gough revealed his surprise at the attention he had received, telling MailOnline at the time that he 'isn't model material'.
He said: "I have to say it was great lighting to make me look that good, the sun must have been at the right angle.
"I can assure people that I don't usually look as well as that - I won't going to be going into the modelling business just yet.
"But it's been very funny reading all the comments on social media."
His wife also let it be known that he is taken, shutting down any hope for his admirers, declaring: "He's my husband!"
Liz Truss's exit - after being appointed as PM only last month on September 6 - comes as more than a dozen Tory MPs publicly called on her to step down after chaotic scenes in the Commons unfolded on Wednesday following the resignation of Suella Braverman as home secretary.
She invited Sir Graham Brady, the powerful chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, to No 10 in what appeared to be a hastily-arranged meeting on Thursday.
Her official spokesman previously said Ms Truss acknowledged a "difficult day" in her premiership and wants to push on as Prime Minister, however it was clearly too late.
Speaking from a lectern in Downing Street, Ms Truss said she had told the King she was resigning as the leader of the Conservative Party.
There will now be a leadership election to be completed within the next week, she said.
Meanwhile Keir Starmer demanded an immediate general election after the crisis-hit Tories hit a "chaotic new low".
The Labour leader ripped into Liz Truss's collapsing Government, saying the "failures of the past twelve years have now come to the boil" but the Tories can only focus on their "pathetic squabbles".
In a speech to the TUC congress in Brighton, Mr Starmer said "this cannot continue" and demanded a general election now.
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