In political memoir, ex-UK PM Liz Truss talks about her time at No 10, final meeting with Queen

Former British prime minister Liz Truss has written a political memoir where she talksabout her time as PM, her final meeting with Queen Elizabeth II, and her life in No.10. Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, and Truss met her just two days before her death.

"That Tuesday, September 6, 2022, she was standing up as she greeted me in her drawing room. I was told she'd made a special effort to do so, but she gave no hint of discomfort throughout our discussion," Truss said in her memoir published by Daily Mail on Friday (Apr 12).

"For about 20 minutes, we discussed politics — and it was clear she was completely attuned to everything that was happening, as well as being typically sharp and witty. There simply wasn't any sense that the end would come as quickly as it did," she added.

Her time at No 10

In the memoir, Truss, 48, talked about her time at No 10 Downing Street. She said how getting groceries at home was a problem as the retail company Ocado had to be convinced that the orders were for 10 Downing Street. Truss said that her husband Hugh had to work out where the order could be dropped off, whether the police "would let them bring it inside the security cordon, whether someone would then be able to sign for it, and so on."

"When the shopping didn't arrive, he called Ocado, only to be told that the order had actually been received some time ago. No. 10 officials had indeed taken delivery of it but didn't want to disturb the Prime Minister!" she added.

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Truss said that outgoing PM Boris Johnson and his family took their furniture with them (at the time of evacuating the residence), Daily Mail reported. She said that the residence was infested with fleas which were left by Boris and Carrie's dog Dilyn, but there was no conclusive evidence.

The downsides of being PM

"The saving grace at No. 10 was Larry the cat. He's a lovely character and seems to take a liking and disliking to all the right people," the 48-year-old said, adding that she felt like a prisoner inside the official residence where she struggled to even get a medicine for a cough.

She further highlighted the downsides to her job including the media abuse, the political attacks, the loss of personal freedom, and intrusions on family life.

Truss was appointed as PM on September 6, 2022, and resigned just 49 days later due to her economic policy which led to financial instability in the country. Facing mounting criticism, she stepped down, becoming the shortest-serving prime minister in British History.

Rishi Sunak was elected unopposed as PM.

Truss also complained that she found a lack of personal support for the PM shocking, and pointed out she did not have "enough trusted senior people on the political side who could immediately get to grips with the immense challenges of running a government."

(With inputs from agencies)