Election 2024: Liz Truss loses seat to Labour as mammoth majority evaporates

Liz Truss has lost her Norfolk seat to Labour after voters revolted against the former Prime Minister following her disastrous spell in office.

Truss, who became the shortest-serving premier in British history when she stood down after 49 days, surrendered a huge 26,195 to the Labour candidate Terry Jermy in a result that signals the scale of anger at the ex-PM. 

Spectators began slow hand clapping at the count after candidates were left standing on stage waiting for the former Prime Minister to join them. She left without giving a concession speech.

Brexit-backing South West Norfolk has been regarded as a Tory stronghold but local constituents were said to have become impatient with Truss’s disengagement from the local seat, Politico reported. She further enraged constituents after missing a hustings during the campaign.

The result will bring an end to a 14-year tenure in parliament for Truss, who was famously outlasted by a lettuce while in Downing Street.

She was first selected for the seat as a member of David Cameron’s ‘A-list’, and has served as environment, justice, and foreign secretary before becoming prime minister in September 2022. 

When Prime Minister, her Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, unveiled a disastrous “mini-budget” which included £45bn worth of unfunded tax cuts, including abolishing the top rate of income tax and dropping a number of planned rises to National Insurance and corporation tax. 

The measures roiled the markets and brought the pound to its lowest ever rate against US dollar, and was criticised by multiple figures within Truss’ party, and US President Joe Biden. Truss initially reversed the abolition of the 45 per cent income tax rate, before later sacking Kwarteng, who claimed that he had told Truss to “slow down”. 

Announcing her resignation as PM, Truss said her government “delivered” on energy bills and National Insurance, saying that she “set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy,” but admitted that she could not “deliver the mandate” on which she was elected.