On September 6, 2022, Liz Truss headed to Downing Street following Boris Johnson’s resignation as the UK’s prime minister.
Truss became the country’s third female head of government when she assumed the role, and she vowed to boldly confront the nation’s challenges.
During her tumultuous premiership, Truss had to oversee some major events including the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
However, her time in the role was very short lived. After just seven weeks as prime minister, Truss was forced to resign after trying to introduce a catastrophic financial plan that further damaged the British economy.
Her leadership was likened to the life span of a lettuce by reporters at the Daily Star, who live streamed an iceberg lettuce in their office, which stayed fresh for longer than she was PM.
So where is the shortest-serving PM to ever govern the UK now? One year on since she became prime minister, we take a look at what she’s been up to since leaving Downing Street.
What does Liz Truss do now?
Ms Truss has kept a relatively low profile until recently as she settled into life after being prime minister. It has been a year since she was forced out but she continues to hold some political influence in the UK as a backbench MP representing South West Norfolk.
When she was reselected as MP in February, she wrote on social media: “Delighted to have been re-selected as Conservative candidate for South West Norfolk. Thanks to my local association for their ongoing support and I look forward in due course to us fighting a fifth general election together.”
Truss had some extra prime ministerial responsibilities that she recently completed when she submitted her resignation honours list last August. Many people believed she should not have put one forward at all in view of her very brief time in office.
She has also attended several public speaking events and recently met the president of Taiwan during a visit to Taipei.
Does Liz Truss still get a salary as a former PM?
Former PMs are able to claim a £115,000 annual allowance to help fund their public duties following office. However, there were calls from around the country for Truss to skip the allowance, as she had only been in office for 49 days. It is unclear whether she has claimed the allowance.
Truss also reportedly received an £18,000 severance package when she left Downing Street.
According to the UK Parliament website, MPs receive an annual basic salary of £86,584.
MPs often earn thousands of pounds for second jobs. Sky News reported that Truss amassed £15,770 an hour for her recent appearance in Taiwan.
How long was Liz Truss prime minister for?
Liz Truss was the UK’s prime minister for 49 days, exactly seven weeks, losing the longevity battle to the Daily Star’s lettuce. Earlier this year, she described the live stream of the lettuce as “puerile”.
Why did Liz Truss resign?
In October 2022, Truss resigned, telling the nation at the time that she was stepping down after an open revolt by Tory MPs. During her resignation, she said: “Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party.
“This morning I met the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, we’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.”
The revolt had been triggered by multiple decisions made by the PM, including a disastrous mini-budget of £45 billion of unfunded tax cuts that Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was forced to resign over. The mini-budget led to mortgage costs rocketing, sparking economic turmoil across the country.
Who was the shortest-serving UK prime minister before?
The title was previously held by George Canning, who was in office for 119 days (about four months) before he died in 1827.
When compared with the other two female PMs who held the role, Theresa May served for just over three years while Margaret Thatcher governed the country for almost 12 years.
