An effigy of the former prime minister Liz Truss with a laughing lettuce on her shoulder has been unveiled as this year’s celebrity Guy by the Edenbridge Bonfire Society, in Kent. The 11-metre-high effigy will be burned on Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November in line with Edenbridge’s annual tradition of picking a public figure to ridicule. The lettuce on Truss’s shoulder, which is crying with laughter, refers to a livestream of a lettuce run by the Daily Star that correctly predicted the vegetable would last longer than Truss did in office. The figure of Truss is clutching a cardboard box containing a goodbye card, a copy of Guinness World Records in reference to her record as the shortest-serving prime minister, a copy of her mini-budget, a “make Britain great again” red cap, a T-shirt with the slogan “I am a fighter, not a quitter” and a cheque for £115,000 in reference to the perpetual funding provided to ex-prime ministers. The box itself has a big upside down U with the words “this way up” the wrong way up and “Oh Dear Oh Dear Oh Dear Packaging Ltd” – a reference to King Charles’ words to Truss when she arrived to meet him.
The Edenbridge Guy has been a hotly anticipated highlight of the bonfire season since starting 20 years ago, and has previously featured John Bercow, Boris Johnson, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, Katie Hopkins, Russell Brand, Jonathan Ross, both of the Blairs, Katie Price, Wayne Rooney, Lance Armstrong, Anne Robinson and Saddam Hussein. The society, a not-for-profit organisation in Kent, which aims to raise more than £5,000 for local charities, has existed for more than 90 years. The party begins at 6.30pm when a torch-lit procession makes its way through Edenbridge town, led by the bishop of the bonfire, choirboys and the society’s effigies, including Guy Fawkes, General Wolfe and Anne Boleyn, with her head tucked underneath her arm. They will be joined by teams from visiting Sussex bonfire societies, along with brightly lit carnival floats, costumed walking parties and marching bands. There is then a fireworks display at the local recreation ground, along with fairground rides, stalls and a show in which the effigies are burned.