Liz Truss was famously in office for a mere 49 days after she took over from Boris Johnson in the summer of 2022. Her time in No 10 was short, but it was chock-a-block with interesting moments that have now been detailed in her memoir Ten Years to Save the West. The book hit shelves yesterday, on Tuesday 16 April.
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Since her time in No 10, Truss has continued to make headlines. Last year, it was reported that her net worth is among the top 10 UK politicians. With this new book, we have access to more personal moments along her journey through premiership.
Truss’ husband knew it would end in tears
Liz Truss is married to Hugh O'Leary, who she met at a Conservative Party conference in Blackpool. The pair married in 2000 and have two daughters together. When Truss found out that Boris Johnson had been forced to resign, she was in Bali as foreign secretary. She said: ‘As I walked along the beach in Indonesia I started crying.’ Her husband Hugh predicted that, if she took on the job, it would all end badly. Truss revealed:
Even Hugh, who predicted it would all end in tears, accepted that this was the moment I was expected to run and that if I didn’t, people would say I had bottled it.
However, Truss did take on the role. Then, just two days after she was sworn in as PM, the country was rocked by the death of Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen’s death
The former PM explained how the ‘machine kicked into action’ at No 10 when news of the Queen’s deterioration reached Truss and her team. The monarch had been scheduled to join via video call for the formal swearing in of new ministers, but this was no longer possible. Truss’ black mourning dress was brought from her house in South London. The politician explained:
Frantic phone calls took place with Buckingham Palace. I started to think about what on earth I was going to say if the unthinkable happened.
Then, they received the confirmation that the Queen had died. Truss wrote:
To be told this on only my second full day as Prime Minister felt utterly unreal. In a state of shock, I found myself thinking, ‘Why me, why now?’
Prior to her death, the Queen met with Truss as she stepped into the role of Prime Minister. The pair talked politics for twenty minutes, and Truss wrote that she was ‘completely attuned to everything that was happening, as well as being typically sharp and witty’. The monarch gave Truss a piece of advice; she told the new PM to ‘pace herself’. Truss has since admitted, ‘Maybe I should have listened.’
Did Boris leave fleas in Number 10?
Other interesting moments in the book include Truss' claim that Boris Johnson's dog might have left fleas in Number 10. The dog, whose name is Dilyn, was accused of having left the property 'infested' with the critters. Truss wrote:
The place was infested with fleas. Some claimed that this was down to Boris and Carrie’s dog Dilyn, but there was no conclusive evidence. In any case, the entire place had to be sprayed with flea killer. I spent several weeks itching.
In a sad turn of events, Truss ordered new furniture for her new home, but her time in office came to an end before the items were delivered.
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Sources used:
The Independent: Liz Truss book: Brexit, fleas and the Queen - 13 bizarre revelations from the ex-PM’s time in No 10
Politico: Liz Truss on Trump, Brexit and … fleas? 9 things we learned reading her new book.
