Joe Lycett describes how he ‘single-handedly’ brought down Liz Truss’s government

Birmingham comedian Joe Lycett has revealed how he ‘single-handedly’ brought down Liz Truss’ government.

Truss, who replaced Boris Johnson as Prime Minister in September 2022, was in office for just 45 days before she was voted out by the Conservative government following her disastrous mini-budget announcement - eventually being replaced by Rishi Sunak.

Lycett hit the headlines during Truss’ reign as PM after his controversial appearance on Laura Kuenssberg’s BBC show in September where the Birmingham-born comedian made some gags about Liz Truss just before she became Prime Minister.

Lycett had sarcastically said during the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show that he was “very right-wing” and felt “reassured” following Truss’ previous live interview in the studio. After then watching Ms Truss live in the studio, Lycett could be heard shouting off-screen: ‘You smashed it, Liz!’.

The 34-year-old had been one of Truss’ most vocal critics, regularly posting hilarious commentary and asides on his social media accounts as her leadership of the Conservative party unfolded.

Following her resignation, Truss claimed she was never given a “realistic chance” to implement her radical tax-cutting agenda by her party and by a “powerful economic establishment ... that had shifted left-wards”.

In a interview with the Telegraph, Truss acknowledged that she was not “blameless” over the way her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s infamous mini-budget catastrophically unravelled, although she still believed her approach to driving growth was the right one.

What has Lycett said about his role in Truss’s downfall?

In a column with current affairs publication Prospect Magazine, Lycett sarcastically described how his appearance contributed to Truss’s resignation. The comedian seemingly pokes fun at the former PM’s comments that she was brought down by the ‘left-wing establishment’ as opposed to her policies while in office.

Lycett described how he ‘planted a fertile seed on the eve of her ascent that germinated quickly and devastatingly’. He wrote: “Some will tell you that it was her own blind ambition, her refusal to consult experts, or powerful market forces that ended her.

“No, reader, it was me, light entertainment comedian Joe Lycett, who slayed the beast, with a last-minute decision to be sarcastic on a television programme I was appearing on to sell tickets for a standup tour.” The comedian says he was “an essential footnote to Liz Truss, an imp in her biography, a thumbnail of grit in her decommissioned machine.”

“I said, when asked about my thoughts on her performance in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg, he wrote. “I’m very right wing and I loved it.” Suddenly it was over. A rat-a-tat-tat of searing wit and she was toast.”