Just 24 hours after Liz Truss’ impassioned declaration in the House of Commons that, “I am a fighter, not a quitter,” she has become the shortest serving Prime Minister in British political history. Just 44 days after her appointment as leader of the government, Truss announced her resignation. Now, economic misjudgement, capricious scapegoating, and a fickle core will be Liz’s legacy. But these things were predictable.

In a Black Ballad article written just three days after her appointment, I wrote on the topic of Truss’ U-turning tendencies and that we, Black Brits, have to be “prepared for unpredictability” and “not be distracted by political jargon in our preparation for her potentially turbulent leadership”. Those forecasts were accurate. A little less certain though, was the extent to which her short 44 day tenure would highlight the hierarchical stratifications that underlie British politics, and for our own protection, we ought to bookmark these in our memories.

First, let’s talk about the British economy as an experimental place for those in power. Truss was elected by the Conservative Party after detailing plans to follow a “low tax, high growth” strategy. At the core of her initial mini-Budget, were proposals to cut taxes for the wealthiest Brits. The market reacted badly as the pound quickly dropped, banks removed mortgage products and Truss came under harsh criticism by her own party too.