By Ashley Cowburn
Britain's shortest-serving PM Liz Truss has lifted the lid on her 49-days in Downing Street with a new behind-the-scenes book.
The ex-Tory leader sparked a crisis in the financial markets in 2022 after her infamous mini-Budget contained £45billion of unfunded tax cutting measures. But in 'Ten Years to Save the West' - published on Tuesday - Ms Truss describes the moment after the measures were announced as her "happiest moment as Prime Minister".
It also contains unflattering descriptions of the No11 flat, including the brutal admission that she was evicted before new furniture arrived, and the last piece of advice the late Queen gave her. Here The Mirror looks at the most bizarre moments and key claims in the ex-PM's book from extracts serialised in the Daily Mail over the weekend.
Liz Truss thought 'why me? why now?' after Queen passed away
Just two days into her short premiership, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The new PM said the "first real indication" she had that the Queen was dying was on the night of Wednesday, 7 September 2022.
"My new ministers were set to be formally sworn into office, with the Queen joining remotely by video link — but just before the meeting, word reached us that Her Majesty wouldn't be available," she said. The following day No10 received the news that the UK's longest-serving monarch had passed away peacefully at her Balmoral residence in Scotland.
Ms Truss added: "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?'" She also revealed the two words of advice the late Queen had offered her during their final meeting were "pace yourself". In the book Ms Truss says: "Maybe I should have listened.
Ex-PM was 'ecstatic' after mini-Budget was unveiled
Shortly after Kwasi Kwarteng delivered the tax-slashing mini-Budget that eventually caused financial meltdown, Ms Truss says the former Chancellor was "grinning ear to ear".
She wrote: "After the statement, I headed off to Kent with Kwasi to pay a visit to a housebuilding firm. In the car, we talked enthusiastically about getting on with the next round of reforms and keeping up the momentum in the months ahead. Kwasi was grinning from ear to ear. As for me, I was ecstatic ? We'd done it!
"After a bruising leadership campaign and the disappointments of successive Conservative governments, we'd finally delivered a package of tax cuts and reform that was going to signify a new era. Looking back, that afternoon was probably my happiest moment as Prime Minister."
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones seized on the comments, saying: “The Conservative crashed the economy, put pensions in peril and inflicted mortgage misery on millions. It is insulting in the extreme that Liz Truss describes her kamikaze budget as her ‘happiest moment as Prime Minister’.
Truss believed she'd 'weathered the worst of the storm' - 15 days before being forced out of No10
Just 15 days before announcing her resignation as PM outside No10, Ms Truss delivered a major speech to the Tory party conference in Birmingham. The ex-PM had just announced a major U-turn and scrapped plans to abolish the top rate of tax for some of the wealthiest people in the country.
After she railed against the so-called "anti-growth coalition" from the stage, she wrote in her diaries: After a difficult ten days, it was satisfying to set out my stall as PM. By the end of the day, I felt cautiously optimistic that we might have weathered the worst of the storm."
Truss was evicted from No10 before her new furniture arrived...
In a brutal admission, the former PM said she was evicted from Downing Street before new furniture had even arrived for the No11 flat. She wrote: "The Johnsons had taken their furniture with them, so the civil service had equipped our new quarters with various bits of John Lewis furniture seized from around the Government estate. We ordered some of our own, but were evicted before it could be delivered."
She also complained that she had to book her own hair and make up appointments. Ms Truss said: "I found the lack of personal support for the Prime Minister pretty shocking, too. Despite now being one of the most photographed people in the country, I had to organise my own hair and makeup appointments."
... and the No11 flat was 'infested' with fleas
The former PM complained about the noise in the No11 flat and said her husband Hugh found it difficult to get Ocado orders delivered there. She also revealed the flat was "infested with fleas", adding some had pointed the finger of blame at her predecessor Boris Johnson's dog, Dilyn.
"But there was no conclusive evidence," Ms Truss added. "In any case, the entire place had to be sprayed with flea killer. I spent several weeks itching." But she added the "saving grace" at Downing Street was Larry the cat. "He's a lovely character and seems to take a liking and disliking to all the right people."
US President Joe Biden showed 'hypocrisy and ignorance'
Ms Truss singles out the US President Joe Biden for joining a "pile-on" against her tax cuts for the rich. At the infamous mini-Budget the former Tory leader announced plans to cut the 45% top rate of tax for people on incomes of over £150,000.
After the policy was abandoned in October 2022, President Biden said he wasn't the "only one that thought [the mini-Budget] was a mistake". The US leader, who had just weeks earlier criticised trickle-down economics, added: "I think that the idea of cutting taxes on the super-wealthy at a time when anyway, I just think I disagreed with the policy."
Writing in her new book, Ms Truss says: "This was utter hypocrisy and ignorance. I was shocked and astounded that Biden would breach protocol by commenting on UK domestic policy. Clearly, the Biden administration didn't want a country demonstrating that things can be done differently."
... and confused US First Lady Jill Biden with Brigitte Macron
The former PM revealed an awkward blunder as she attended the UN General Assembly in New York just weeks after entering No10. During one meeting at the Ukrainian Institute of America, Ms Truss said she met Olena Zelenska - the wife of Ukrainian war-time leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
The former Tory leader went on: "Across the room I saw a blonde lady I recognised. I called out 'Hi, Dr Biden!' to the woman I believed was the US First Lady. "As she got closer, I realised it wasn't her at all, but French President Macron's wife, Brigitte. I hope she didn't hear!"
Final press conference was like 'officiating at my own funeral'
Just hours after sacking the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, the ex-PM called an emergency press conference to announce a further U-turn to her mini-Budget. It was the only press conference the 49-day PM held and with just four questions the event lasted around eight minutes before Ms Truss hastily left the stage.
Reflecting back, she wrote: "I faced the media frenzy alone. It was a pretty ghastly experience, which felt a lot like officiating at my own funeral. I was absolutely clear that my economic policy was dead, and most people thought my premiership was, too."
