Liz Truss leaves stage as lettuce banner unfurls

A speech by Liz Truss was interrupted when a banner showing a picture of a lettuce unfurled above her.

The former prime minister was on stage at a public event at Beccles Public Hall, Suffolk, when the banner - which also read 'I crashed the economy' - appeared.

A video posted on X showed the speech being stopped and Ms Truss walking off stage.

The activism group Led By Donkeys claimed responsibility for the stunt.

"Liz Truss is on a pro-Trump speaking tour. So we dropped a strategically-positioned remote-controlled lettuce banner," the group posted on social media.

"She didn’t find it funny."

Ms Truss was speaking in Beccles on Tuesday evening to promote her new book.

In the footage, she stops speaking when her attention is drawn to the banner behind her.

She is then heard to remark "that's not funny", while the host said: "I have no idea where that has come from."

As she left the stage, laughter could be heard from some members of the audience, while others clapped.

Before the event, a spokesperson for Beccles Public Hall had urged people to “remain civil”.

An advert posted on Facebook last week said: "We recognise that people have differing opinions on politics.

"We would however encourage any dialogue to remain civil."

In 2022, during Ms Truss' 49 days as prime minister, the Daily Star newspaper created a live web-cam feed to test whether her term in office would outlast a 60p iceberg lettuce.

It was in response to her mini-Budget, which included £45bn of unfunded tax cuts and triggered economic turmoil

Ms Truss lost the South West Norfolk seat, which she had held for the Conservatives since 2010, in July's general election.

She has been approached for comment.