Ricky Gervais' Reaction to Liz Truss Resignation Sparks Jokes, Memes

The resignation of U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss after just 44 days in office has led to an onslaught of jokes and memes, led by comedian Ricky Gervais.

Beleaguered Truss announced her resignation while standing outside No. 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday, following a brief yet calamitous stint that sparked economic uncertainty and saw the value of the pound plummet.

Noting that she came into office "at a time of great economic and international instability," Truss said in her resignation speech that the U.K. "had been held back for too long by low economic growth."

"I was elected by the Conservative party with a mandate to change this," she went on. "We delivered on energy bills and on cutting National Insurance. And we set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.

"I recognize, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative party.

"I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative party. This morning I met the chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady. We have agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week.

"This will ensure we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country's economic stability and national security. I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen."

As members of the Conservative party brace themselves for another leadership contest, Gervais jokingly suggested that he could fill the role.

Sharing an image of himself at a podium, superimposed in front of the prime minister's official residence, the After Life star wrote on Twitter: "And it wouldn't even be in the top 10 weirdest news stories of the year."

Gervais' post garnered a wave of support from his followers, with a large number saying they would back him for the post.

Actor James Woods counted himself among them, responding: "But it would easily be in the top ten best decisions EVER!"

However, it would appear that Gervais has competition on his hands in the form of Downing Street's resident cat, Larry.

A parody account of the Cabinet Office's chief mouser shared an edited image of the feline standing at a mini podium on Downing Street, alongside the caption: "The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough."

Anthony Scaramucci, who spent 11 days as White House communications director in July 2017 before former President Donald Trump fired him, also got in on the jokes.

"Liz Truss lasted 4.1 Scaramuccis," the former Trump loyalist tweeted in self-deprecating fashion.

Irish brothers John and Edward Grimes, better known to fans as Jedward, proudly declared that they outlasted Truss' term when they finished in sixth place on the U.K. version of TV singing contest The X Factor in 2009.

"We lasted longer on Xfactor than Liz truss as Prime Minister!" read the twins' tweet.

U.K. newspaper The Daily Star has been running a campaign to see which would last longer out of a lettuce head or Truss in her role as prime minister—with the food item emerging as the victor.

In a nod to the tongue-in-cheek contest, Gawker senior editor George Civeris shared an edited image of Harry Styles, known for his non-conforming style, striking a sassy pose in a green sweater dress.

"The lettuce after outlasting Liz Truss," read the accompanying caption.

Meanwhile, columnist and radio presenter Ayesha Hazarika shared an image of No. 10 Downing Street with the Airbnb logo, along with the slogan: "Perfect for short stays."

"This is what's going down with the Indian aunties on the WhatsApp," Hazarika tweeted. "They are sending me these."

The leader of the opposition, the Labour Party's Sir Keir Starmer, has called for an immediate general election, rather than another Conservative leadership contest.

The last contest was triggered after the resignation of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in July. Truss was able to win this contest after defeating former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

However, as prime minister, Truss came under intense pressure after a mini-budget was announced on September 23 that introduced billions of pounds of unfunded tax cuts. This led to a loss of market confidence in the U.K. economy and the value of the pound plummeting.

In response, Truss fired Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, and brought in a replacement who reversed most of his tax cuts. Following this, Kwarteng and other Tory MPs claimed that Truss' days in the role were numbered.