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44 things that lasted longer than Liz Truss’s 44 days as Prime Minister

We had to.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 21st October 2022

In case you somehow hadn’t heard, Liz Truss stepped down from her role as Prime Minister yesterday in what was a history-making move.

We say ‘history-making’, as Truss did, quite literally, make history during her time as leader of the Conservative Party for officially being the shortest-serving Prime Minister in the history of the United Kingdom after only being in office for just 44 days.

Truss took over from outgoing PM Boris Johnson on 5 September 2022.

During her 44 days as leader, Truss was elected to office during an ongoing cost of living crisis and an energy supply crisis, in which her government – and the former Chancellor she sacked six days before her resignation, Kwasi Kwarteng – implemented an Energy Price Guarantee that limited energy prices for households, businesses, and public sector organisations.

Truss’s government will likely also be remembered for having announced large-scale borrowing and various tax cuts in a mini-budget unveiled on 23 September – which was poorly received, the subject of major backlash from both within the Tory party, as well as from opposition parties and the wider general public.

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After the mini-budget announcement went on to cause economic chaos and see the value of the pound plummet, Truss’s new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was then forced to largely reverse a lot of the measures that were set out.

Truss’s time in office also saw the death and state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which means 10 whole days of her leadership were spent in a period of national mourning.

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Understandably, given the fact that 44 days as Prime Minister is, in a lot of respects, a very short amount of time, the internet has been having an absolute field day working out things that have lasted longer than Liz Truss.

And so, because we could all do with a bit of light relief from what has undeniably been a week (well year, well lifetime, to be honest) of absolute political chaos, we thought we’d round up a list of some of our favourites that we’ve seen knocking around online over the last 24 hours – and we’ve even come up with a few of our own too.

We decided to pick 44 things, one for each day Truss spent in office – of course.

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  1. The Daily Star’s 60p lettuce (still going strong)
  2. Kim Kardashian’s marriage to Kris Humphries (72 days)
  3. The time you’ve got to return something to B&Q (90 days)
  4. Tyson Fury’s retirement (53 days)
  5. Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial (51 days)
  6. Phinneas and Ferb’s summer vacation (104 days)
  7. The DFS sale (probably forever?)
  8. The average lifespan of a red blood cell (115 days)
  9. Jedward’s time on X Factor
  10. Wagner’s time on X Factor
  11. Chico’s time on X Factor (he actually got to the quarter-final, can you believe?)
  12. How long the Chilean miners were trapped underground for (69 days)
  13. The first COVID lockdown (91 days)
  14. A typical season of Love Island (56 days)
  15. Chris Evans’ time as a host of Top Gear (47 days)
  16. The time ‘Believe’ by Cher spent at the top of the UK charts (49 days)
  17. The time ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna spent at the top of the UK charts (70 days)
  18. Big Sam Allardyce’s infamous time as England manager (67 days)
  19. The ‘partygate’ scandal (sorry to drag this up again – 164 days)
  20. The average probation period at a new job (up to 90 days)
  21. The longest recorded game of Monopoly (70 days)
  22. My IKEA coffee table (surprisingly still standing)
  23. The lifecycle of a female mosquito (56 days)
  24. How long a jar of mayonnaise lasts in the fridge (60 days, apparently)
  25. Also, this avocado in John Bishop’s fridge (unknown, we’ll have to take his word for it)
  26. Anne Widdecombe on Strictly Come Dancing (70 days)
  27. John Sergeant on Strictly Come Dancing (61 days)
  28. Ed Balls on Strictly Come Dancing (91 days)
  29. Pumpkin Spice Latte season at Starbucks (68 days, give or take)
  30. Vine (1454 days)
  31. The lifespan of a banana from green to bad (45 days)
  32. David Blaine’s famous glass box stunt (44 days – snap)
  33. The London 2012 Olympic torch relay (60 days)
  34. The runtime of every episode of Coronation Street when played back-to-back with no breaks (6 months, apparently)
  35. Christopher Eccleston’s time as the Ninth Doctor on Doctor Who (84 days)
  36. How long the Gallagher brothers have been fighting for (who knows, probably their whole lives? Oasis famously split up in 2009)
  37. Kayne West’s 2020 campaign to be US President (123 days)
  38. The ‘Hundred Days’ war (110 days, the name lies)
  39. Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury keeping their pregnancy a secret (3 months, ish)
  40. The length of time The Queen’s Gambit spent as ‘number 1’ on Netflix (46 days)
  41. How long it takes for your new passport to arrive (10 weeks, if you’re lucky)
  42. Luis Suarez’s 10-game Premier League ban for one of the times he bit another player (151 days)
  43. Larry the Downing Street cat (who knows, longer than any PM – what a legend)

And last but not least – and probably the most shocking.

44. The length of the 2022 Conservative Party leadership race that actually elected Liz Truss as Prime Minister (61 days)

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Yes, that’s right, that means Truss was campaigning to become UK Prime Minister for 17 whole days more than she actually spent as UK Prime Minister, which is, honestly, one of the most absurd facts of this whole ordeal.

So there you have it.

Featured Image – 10 Downing Street (via Twitter)

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Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.

Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?

Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.

These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.

Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.

On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.

Tut-tut.

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)

It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.

“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”

He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.

Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.

“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.

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Featured Images – AA

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Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’ not Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Paddy McGuinness has admitted that he believes “Bolton still falls under Lancashire” and not Greater Manchester.

The famous comedian and TV presenter – who was born and raised in Farnworth in 1973, back when it genuinely was still categorised as Lancashire – made the somewhat controversial declaration to his millions of followers on Instagram this week as he shared some pictures of himself that are currently featuring as part of a photography exhibition.

McGuinness is one of dozens of local famous faces forming part of the ‘Greater Mancunians’ project by The Manchester College.

150 students have participated in the landmark photography project – which is currently on display down at Manchester Central Library’s Main Exhibition Hall – and it features images of some of Manchester’s most famous and influential people shot at numerous locations across the city.

Noel Gallagher, Johnny Marr, Ricky Hatton, Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Maxine Peake, Jonathan Warburton, and Professor Erinma Bell MBE are among the 100 contributors featured in the project, alongside McGuinness.

The 50-year-old, who is most well-known for his acting and presenting roles in Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere, Take Me Out, and Top Gear, says it was “a real honour” to be featured in the exhibition.

McGuinness wrote on Instagram: “It was a real honour to take part in the Greater Mancunians project with the students at The Manchester College. The exhibition is full of people from music, comedy, politics, poetry, television, medicine and beyond.”

He then said it’s “well worth popping in if you’re in town”, before dropping the final Bolton-related bombshell: “PS, I’m still saying Bolton falls under Lancashire.”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the borough’s history, Bolton was considered to be a part of Lancashire until Greater Manchester was formally established all the way back on 1 April 1974 – but still to this day, the town is located within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.

Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’, not Greater Manchester (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

After making the bold claim about Bolton’s geographical location, McGuinness has been met with praise and has received hundreds of comments from other Bolton and wider Greater Manchester residents agreeing with him and sharing their similar opinions under the post.

“I think they should redefine Lancashire back to its old borders, it would bring unity to the area and create a northern powerhouse,” one person commented.

Another fan wrote: “Bolton will always be in Lancashire for me”, while a third commented: “ALWAYS Lancashire. Can’t move land boundaries, they’re not pieces of paper,” a fourth shared a similar sentiment: “They can tell us we’re Greater Manchester, but I know Im a Lancashire lass,” and a fifth added: “Lancashire all the way lad.”

“BOLTON WILL ALWAYS BE LANCASHIRE,” another clearly strong-viewed comment reads.

Read more:

It’s always very ‘Stockport is Cheshire‘, isn’t it?

What’s your take then? Do you think Bolton is still in Lancashire, or is it part of Greater Manchester? What about the rest of the boroughs?

We know full well we may have opened a can of worms with this one but that’s all part of the fun.

Featured Images – BBC

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