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Ariana Baio
Oct 18, 2022
Commons erupts in laughter as Liz Truss avoids questions due to 'urgent …
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Prime Minister Liz Truss was seemingly nowhere to be found for a while on Monday as MPs gathered in the House of Commons to ask the PM questions.
Multiple MPs publicly criticized Truss for failing to show up and answer questions about the Chancellor of the Exchequer drama.
Labour MP Jess Phillips asked why Truss wasn't present to answer questions and MP Stella Creasy accused Truss of “cowering under her desk and asking for it all to go away."
People online echoed MP's concerns and criticized Truss for failing to appear before Parliament. However, the jokes came to a head after the leader of the House of the Commons, Penny Mordaunt, defended Truss.
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"The Prime Minister is not under a desk," Mordaunt said. "I can assure the House. With regret, she is not here for a very good reason.”
Although the 'under the desk' saying was likely metaphorical, people immediately began creating memes about Truss being under a physical desk on Twitter.
\u201c"The prime minister is not under a desk"\n\nLeader of the House Penny Mordaunt says Liz Truss is absent from the Commons "for a very good reason," after Labour's Stella Creasy accuses the PM of "cowering" https://t.co/wDkuPl9x3K\u201d— Bloomberg UK (@Bloomberg UK) 1666018839
\u201cBREAKING \ud83d\udea8: Penny Mourdant confirms to the Commons that Liz Truss is not hiding under her desk.\n\nCouldn\u2019t make this up. What a mess.\u201d— Luke Pollard MP (@Luke Pollard MP) 1666018600
Since announcing the mini-budget alongside former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK economy has been sent into a spiral. The backlash led Truss to fire Kwarteng on Friday and replace him with Jeremy Hunt.
Already, Truss has been subject to memes about her leadership but Monday's desk-gate only ignited more.
\u201cwhy is liz truss under a desk?\u201d— Mx. D. E. ADerson (@Mx. D. E. ADerson) 1666019780
\u201cBREAKING: The markets have stabilised after receiving reassurance from Penny Mordaunt that Liz Truss is not hiding under a desk x\u201d— Laura K Translator (@Laura K Translator) 1666022201
\u201cMordaunt now confirms Truss isn\u2019t hiding under a desk. It\u2019s under the bed then\u201d— John Crace (@John Crace) 1666018632
\u201chttps://t.co/nywqHfqgNr\u201d— Ricardo Autobahn (@Ricardo Autobahn) 1666021653
\u201c@trussliz\u201d— Cold War Steve (@Cold War Steve) 1666022946
\u201cApp alerts latest\u201d— Dan Bloom (@Dan Bloom) 1666019087
\u201c\u201cThe prime minister is not under a desk\u201d\u201d— Matt Chorley (@Matt Chorley) 1666018949
\u201cJacob Rees-Mogg trying to find Truss under the desk\u201d— emma jacobs (@emma jacobs) 1666020230
\u201c*Deep sigh*\n\nShe's under the desk isn't she.\u201d— Dr Philip Lee (@Dr Philip Lee) 1666019078
\u201cHope you don't find my desk too big for you.\u201d— PostcardFromThePast (@PostcardFromThePast) 1666020232
\u201cLeader of the House Penny Mordaunt assures the House of Commons that PM Liz Truss is 'not under a desk'\u201d— insane moments in british politics (@insane moments in british politics) 1666019485
\u201c\u2018The Prime Minister is not under a desk\u2019\u201d— Toby Earle \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Toby Earle \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1666019077
\u201cShe may have fucked the economy then pulled off a screeching u-turn all in a few weeks, but credit where credit's due the prime minister is not under a desk\u201d— James Felton (@James Felton) 1666019125
\u201cYou either die hiding in a fridge or live long enough to hide under a desk\u201d— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) 1666019553
\u201cWhat a beautiful autumnal day. Much too nice to be stuck under a desk.\u201d— Gary Lineker \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b (@Gary Lineker \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b) 1666019562
Truss' time as Prime Minister has been compared to rotting lettuce. Both citizens and MPs have expressed low confidence in Truss' ability to steer the UK out of a potential economic recession and an energy crisis.
\u201cOH MY GOD the @DailyStar \u201cLiz Truss vs Lettuce\u201d livestream is showing Parliament with circus music played over it\u201d— Scott Bryan (@Scott Bryan) 1666020173
As people accused Truss of being under a desk, metaphorically and physically, the PM suddenly entered the House of Commons on Monday afternoon - before quickly disappearing again. Throughout her short time there, she looked a bit spaced out.
\u201cLiz Truss sitting in parliament\u201d— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE) 1666022461
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