Blinking Liz Truss turned up late then left without saying a word – 23 bewildered responses
We’d say it was a bizarre sequence of events but for Liz Truss’s government it was just about par for the course.
First of all the prime minister was unable to respond in person to an urgent question from Labour leader Keir Starmer because she was on ‘urgent business’.
House of Commons explodes with laughter as Mordaunt says that the PM “was detained with urgent business”. ~AA pic.twitter.com/AtM9vnBEd5
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) October 17, 2022
The Penny Mordaunt – standing in for the PM – was forced to clarify that Truss wasn’t hiding under a desk.
Penny Mordaunt assures the House that the Prime Minister is not currently under a desk. pic.twitter.com/oJEEZfp8kC
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) October 17, 2022
Then Truss did in fact turn up while Mordaunt was still speaking – she clearly sorted that urgent business double quick – and was still there while her boss, sorry, chancellor Jeremy Hunt was speaking.
Rapid Eye Blinking by the PM as Hunt reads out the destruction of her economic plan pic.twitter.com/djibGmZxyH
— Oliver King (@oliverjamesking) October 17, 2022
And then she exited stage left without saying a word.
Liz Truss can’t get out the Chamber fast enough. pic.twitter.com/ltt685qcbA
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) October 17, 2022
And if you’re left a little bit discombobulated by all that, you weren’t the only one. Here are our favourite things people said about the whole thing.
1.
Bizarre. Truss is wearing that precise look of a Tory wife standing next to her husband as he announces his resignation over a sex scandal.
— Marina Hyde (@MarinaHyde) October 17, 2022
2.
*Liz Truss has entered the chat*
*stares*
*Liz Truss has left the chat*
— The Trawl (@TheTrawlPodcast) October 17, 2022
3.
Liz Truss has left the chamber again. Am told she only gets a twenty minute break and has had to go straight back to Madame Tussaud’s.
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) October 17, 2022
4.
someone put an airtag on her where is she going now!!!!
— Ava-Santina (@AvaSantina) October 17, 2022
5.
Liz Truss just sitting on the frontbench in total silence like she's been told not to speak like OJ at his trial.
— OOZE Kempner (Sooz doesn't have an E on the end) (@SoozUK) October 17, 2022
6.
She was low on batteries so she couldn't speak. That's why she was blinking a lot x
— Laura K Translator (@LKTranslator) October 17, 2022
7.
I presume Hunt told Truss she can’t speak in the Commons today. She’s under House arrest.
— Chris Bryant (@RhonddaBryant) October 17, 2022
8.
anyone know Morse Code? pic.twitter.com/3c4V7j27PA
— Henry Mance (@henrymance) October 17, 2022
9.
Liz Truss is not even sitting there looking like a robot. She looks like a robot that’s been switched off.
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) October 17, 2022
10.
If I wanted to dispel rumours that I was not in charge, I would simply skip my own questions, go to parliament while Jeremy Hunt answers his and sit there saying nothing
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) October 17, 2022
11.
"The Prime Minister is not under a desk" has to be the absolute lowest bar for governing the country.
— Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) October 17, 2022
12.
Has Therese Coffey given her some meds. https://t.co/rGV4s57Jbd
— Brendan May (@bmay) October 17, 2022
