It’s hard to believe, but Liz Truss, Britain’s shortest-serving Prime Minister, has pinned the blame for the Tories’ crushing 2024 election defeat on—you guessed it—paper straws. No, this isn’t satire. It’s just another day in the world of Truss logic.
The former PM took to social media over the weekend to unleash her bizarre theory, claiming the ban on plastic straws is part of the “lefty” agenda that led to the Conservatives’ downfall.
Truss backs Trump’s war on paper straws
Truss’s comments came after Donald Trump, freshly back in the White House, announced plans to scrap environmentally friendly paper straws and bring back plastic ones via executive order. Because, you know, climate change and ocean pollution can wait.
Clearly inspired by Trump’s priorities, Truss threw her weight behind the anti-paper straw crusade with this gem of a post:
“I tried to stop the ludicrous British government plastic straw ban back in 2018. These lefty policies resulted in the Conservatives getting trounced in 2024. Good for Donald Trump—he is standing up for common sense.”
Yes, you heard that right. Forget the cost-of-living crisis, NHS struggles, or economic instability—it was the paper straws all along.
Social media reacts: “Has she lost the plot?”
Predictably, Truss’s comments caused a social media meltdown, with reactions ranging from outrage to outright laughter.
Labour MP Chris Bryant didn’t mince words, saying Truss has “firmly and totally lost the plot”. Even Armando Iannucci, the mastermind behind the political satire The Thick of It, admitted that Truss’s post was “beyond parody”—which is saying something, given that show’s history of chaotic political takedowns.
One user quipped: “Next she’ll be blaming reusable shopping bags for the housing crisis.”
Trump, Truss, and Musk: a political circus
Truss’s latest outburst comes as she spends more time in the US, closely aligning herself with Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The duo has been making waves, with Musk’s drive to slash government spending and Trump’s “common-sense” crusade against eco-friendly policies sparking plenty of controversy.
But as far as political excuses go, blaming biodegradable drinking utensils for a national election loss might just take the cake.
It’s unclear whether Truss is genuinely convinced that paper straws hold this much power or if this is just another attempt to grab the spotlight. Either way, Britain can’t seem to stop watching this unfolding comedy of errors.
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