‘What happened last night was not funny’ – Liz Truss responds to lettuce prank

Liz Truss has said a banner proclaiming “I crashed the economy” with a picture of a lettuce which appeared behind her during a talk was “not funny” and an attempt to “suppress free speech”.

Speaking at Beccles Public Hall and Theatre to promote her book Ten Years To Save The West, the former prime minister was discussing her support for Donald Trump when the banner unfurled behind her.

Led By Donkeys confirmed the event was genuine, but refused to explain how they pulled the stunt off.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Ms Truss wrote: “What happened last night was not funny. Far-left activists disrupted the event, which then had to be stopped for security reasons.

“This is done to intimidate people and suppress free speech. I won’t stand for it.

“Would we see the same reaction if the activists were far-right?”

A statement from Led By Donkeys read: “Liz Truss appears to be a huge supporter of free speech up to the point she encounters it”.

Led By Donkeys co-founder Ben Stewart earlier told the PA news agency that the stunt was “all about Liz Truss aligning herself with Trump and the far right in America”.

Ms Truss lasted only 44 days as leader of the country – she was famously outlasted by a lettuce that was recorded on a live stream, created by the Daily Star, which asked: “Which wet lettuce will last longer?” referring to the then prime minister and an actual lettuce.

Once she had been alerted to the sign behind her, the former prime minister was clearly unhappy and left the stage.