Ex-prime minister Liz Truss loses seat to Labour in humiliating election defeat

Former Conservative prime minister Liz Truss has lost her South West Norfolk seat to Labour following a humiliating defeat in the 2024 general election.

Truss, whose time as serving prime minister was memorably outlived by a wilting lettuce, lost to Labour’s Terry Jeremy by around 600 votes. She didn’t give a speech following the outcome.

The former Conservative Party leader won a 26,000 majority at the 2019 election but her loss this year comes amid huge Tory losses, with the exit poll predicted a Labour victory with 410 seats compared to just 131 for the Conservatives.

Truss, who in April this year expressed regret at previously calling herself an LGBTQ+ ally, joins Conservative giants Jacob Rees-Mogg, Grant Shapps, Penny Mordaunt and Jonny Mercer in losing their seats.

Liz Truss has become known for her airing anti-LGBTQ+ talking points

It’s not only the Tories who are suffering shocking result, with the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) also seeing a drastic drop in representation, seeing their total of 48 seats in the last parliament cut to just seven, at the time of writing. 

Since her infamous 45-day reign as prime minister, Truss has become known for airing anti-LGBTQ+ talking points. 

Truss has openly supported banning trans women from women’s spaces, proposed a law banning changing gender for under-18s, and branded supporters of LGBTQ+ people “left-wing extremists”.

Following her departure as prime minister, leading LGBTQ+ activists noted that she would be remembered for her “silence and inaction” on LGBTQ+ rights. 

• Nov 29 2023

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