The rapid crash of this Liz Truss government is without precedent

It feels like the last days of Gordon Brown in 2010, says Sean O’Grady

In happier times: Liz Truss on the day she became prime minister, three weeks ago (AP)

It is rare, if not unprecedented, for a prime minister to come to power and crash quite as rapidly as Liz Truss.

When the late Queen asked her to form an administration in her name a little over three weeks ago, Truss just about had time to announce her energy price guarantee before the period of mourning halted all political activity. Now the mourning period has ceased, and the mini-Budget has been presented to mixed reviews, her “honeymoon” is well and truly over.

This has been the shortest such honeymoon in history. Most premiers and their governments manage to get through at least a few months with the benefit of some goodwill and novelty before things go sour. In a few cases, such as Tony Blair’s remarkable run from 1997 to 2000, the “honeymoon” can last rather longer.