The Liz Truss lettuce video created by the Daily Star has been acquired by the British Film Institute’s National Archive, three years to the day since she resigned as Prime Minister
The Daily Star went viral on 14 October 2022 when it began a livestream of a 60p Tesco iceberg lettuce next to a framed photograph of beleaguered Truss, who had been appointed the previous month.
When Truss announced her resignation on 20 October 2022, having served just 49 days in office and holding the shortest PM tenure in British history, the Daily Star declared the world’s most talked-about lettuce “victorious” over Truss.
The news brand’s viral footage firmly rooted itself in the centre of the political discourse around Truss’s tenure. The BFI National Archive is immortalising the lettuce as part of its drive to bring 400 significant pieces of British online moving image content into its national collection.
As part of the BFI National Archive’s 90th birthday celebration, this new digital collection will trace technological advancements in online moving images. The work it is selecting, such as the lettuce, having entertained, inspired or struck a chord over the last 30 years with audiences, reflecting the stories of Britain in the digital age.
Ben Rankin, Daily Star editor-in-chief, said: “When people talk about the Daily Star, they talk about the lettuce; and that is still the case, it hasn’t left public consciousness.
“So three years to the day since Liz Truss resigned, it is testament to the impact a 60p Tesco lettuce had that it sits alongside other viral moments such as Charlie Bit My Finger and Badgers in this fantastic pioneering project.
“At the Daily Star, we have always had a unique way of covering big stories. We tell the news with a wink and we are always on the lookout for the next viral lettuce.”
