Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss: Downing Street infested with fleas

United Kingdom
Short-term Prime Minister Liz Truss: Downing Street was infested with fleas

Liz Truss was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for 49 days. In her memoirs, she now reports on uninvited guests at her official residence who presumably came through her predecessor’s pet.

Bedbugs in offices are a concern for many heads of state and government. But in comparison there are Fleas are far more annoying, even if listening devices in offices may be more dangerous.

This was the experience of short-term British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who only lived and worked in Downing Street for 49 days. In her memoirs “Ten Years To Save the West” she reports about fleas in the official residence of the British Prime Minister. The newspaper “Daily Mail” published excerpts from the book, which is due to be published on Tuesday.

Fleas in Downing Street: Was Boris Johnson’s dog the culprit?

Truss describes her entry into Downing Street. The official apartment at number 11 was “surprisingly spacious,” “even if it felt a little soulless.” The apartment was furnished with some furniture by the public service. However, Truss ordered her own furniture but backed out before it was delivered.

Even more annoying, however, were the blood-sucking parasites that made themselves comfortable in Downing Street. The entire apartment had to be sprayed with flea medication, reported the 48-year-old politician. “I scratched myself for weeks.”

It is not known who brought the fleas into Downing Street, but there is speculation. “Some claim it was Boris and Carrie’s dog Dilyn, but there is no conclusive evidence,” wrote the conservative former prime minister.

Liz Truss felt trapped on Dowing Street

Truss seemed to be the one Not to like official residence in the heart of London, close to Big Ben and Parliament. It was noisy because of camping demonstrators, and a clock striking every quarter of an hour on the nearby Horse Guards robbed her of sleep.

She also felt trapped and trips were hardly possible. “I was effectively a prisoner. If I insisted on running or walking, I would be arranged to be driven to a quiet part of Hyde Park – but even that felt like I had been let into the prison training ground. ” The experience was “extremely claustrophobic” for Truss.

A small ray of hope in the No. 10 was the cat Larry, who works as a mouse hunter in Downing Street. “He’s a likeable character and seems to like or dislike the right people.”

Death of the Queen: “Why me, why now?”

In her memoirs, Truss also talks about how she experienced the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Truss had only been in office for two days when the regent died. She thought: “Why me, why now?” reported the 48-year-old, who went down in British history as the head of government with the shortest term in office. She was in a “state of shock”.

Truss was officially appointed Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth on September 6, 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. A photo of the encounter is believed to be the last official image of the Queen, who died on September 8th at the age of 96.

At the audience she had no idea “that the end would come so quickly,” Truss wrote. The queen advised her to divide her forces well. “Maybe I should have listened to her.”

Because of the monarch’s death, ten days of national mourning were declared in the United Kingdom, during which political and social life came to a standstill. Afterwards, Truss and her finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced radical changes to economic policy, including tax relief on credit. The markets collapsed. Truss had to backtrack and resigned after just 49 days in office.

The conservative politician blames liberal market forces for her demise and defends her radical approaches. Truss recently attracted attention with right-wing extremist and conspiracy theory statements. She continues to sit in the British Parliament.

Sources: “Daily Mail”, Biteback PublishingDPA news agency