【こぼれ話】トラス英首相、「賞味期限」勝負でレタスに負ける

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】リズ・トラス英首相の政治生命は、レタスよりも短かった──。英大衆紙が行った両者の「賞味期限」勝負は、トラス氏が２０日に辞意を表明したことで、レタスの勝利に終わった。（写真は資料写真）
　大衆紙デーリー・スターは１４日、かつらと目玉をつけたレタス１玉のライブ動画配信を開始。その目的は、レタスの賞味期限である１０日間が過ぎてもトラス氏が首相の座にとどまっているかを試すことだった。トラス氏は配信７日目に辞意を表明した。
　配信のきっかけとなったのは、英誌エコノミストが先週掲載した記事で、トラス氏が就任してから、大失敗に終わった経済政策を発表して権威を失うまでの期間がわずか７日間で、「レタスの賞味期限とほぼ同じ」だったと記したことだった。
　デーリー・スターはこれを受け、トラス氏の「賞味期限」までのカウントダウンを開始。トラス氏の辞任発表直後には、「レタスが正式にリズ・トラス首相より長生きし、勝利した。レタス万歳」とツイッターに投稿した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/10/21-11:17）

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on Thursday saw her political career wilt quicker than a lettuce, thanks to a tabloid stunt and a crisis-filled six weeks in office.
The Daily Star last Friday launched a video livestream simply featuring a round head of lettuce, dressed up with a wig and googly eyes.
The aim: to test whether Truss would still be prime minister within the 10-day shelf-life of a lettuce.
She resigned after seven days.
The stunt was inspired by The Economist magazine, which wrote last week that Truss's effective period in power before unveiling disastrous new economic policies had been just seven days -- or roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce.
The Daily Star decided to count down to Truss's political sell-by date -- and its slightly brown-streaked lettuce outlived her premiership Thursday.
Minutes after her Downing Street speech, the tabloid tweeted triumphantly: The lettuce has officially outlasted Liz Truss and won. All hail the lettuce.
The livestream showed the lettuce savouring the moment with a glass of bubbly, music and disco lighting.
The lettuce has so far refused to comment on its political future, the tabloid said.
Playing on the idea of Truss being politically limp and wet, the stunt involving a quintessentially English salad vegetable was a perfect excuse for the tabloid to dish up veggie-related puns.
How long can wet lettuce Liz romaine? was one of its headlines, along with: Lettuce Liz on Leaf Support.
On Thursday morning, as Truss's premiership appeared to be for the chop, Labour MP Chris Bryant told Sky News that the lettuce might as well be running the country.
His colleague David Lammy tweeted: Looks like the PM vs the Lettuce is going to the wire.
British journalist Jane Merrick added in a tweet: When a lettuce outlasts a Prime Minister, we have truly reached the endive days.