Liz Truss, Shortest-Serving UK Prime Minister, Is Coming To Malibu To 'Save The West'

MALIBU, CA — Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, is set to speak at Pepperdine University on Thursday.

Truss, who served as the U.K. premier for 49 days in 2022 amid a government crisis, plans to explore her book "Ten Years to Save the West" in the latest installment of Pepperdine's President's Speaker Series. The event will take place Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at the Caruso School of Law Atrium.

"Truss will share her insights on why socialism remains popular, the clear and present danger of the ever-expanding 'administrative state,' why the West should not ignore the threat of an aggressive China, and why both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher should remain the guiding lights for conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic," reads a Pepperdine release.

Truss, a member of the Conservative Party, was elected to Parliament in 2010. She became prime minister in September 2022 following the ouster of scandal-plagued Boris Johnson.

Her plan for boosting post-Brexit economic growth with tax cuts and deregulation roused Tory members of Parliament. But a budget with $54 million in unfunded tax cuts rocked the financial markets, drove up the cost of government borrowing and tanked the pound to its lowest-ever level against the dollar.

The Bank of England stepped in to prop up the bond market and prevent a larger economic meltdown.

A tabloid newspaper set up a live camera on a head of lettuce and a photo of Truss and asked which would last longer. The salad leaf won, and the nickname “Lettuce Liz” was born.

In October 2022, Truss resigned and was replaced by Rishi Sunak, the rival she’d defeated just a couple of months earlier.

As part of her book tour, Truss has defended her economic record and blamed the “deep state,” “technocrats,” “the establishment,” civil servants and the Bank of England for her downfall. Her prominent public profile after leaving office bucks the tradition of former prime ministers fading from the public eye.

The first 100 registrants for the event will receive a free copy of Truss' memoir. A lunch reception will follow. The event is free, though registration is required.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.