- A Twitter user with the handle @Liztruss is repeatedly mistaken for the UK's new prime minister.
- Those who have mixed up Liz Trussell with Prime Minister Liz Truss include an MP and Sweden's leader.
A woman on Twitter who tweets as "@Liztruss" has been responding to a flood of messages as people around the world confused her with the UK's new prime minister Liz Truss.
The Twitter user — who is identified on her account as being called Liz Trussell — was tagged in numerous congratulatory tweets after Truss won the Conservative Party leadership election on Monday.
The prime minister's actual Twitter handle is @trussliz.
The people mixing Truss up with Trussell included UK Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
The @SwedishPM tweet has since been deleted, but only after several publications, such as the Evening Standard, made screenshots.
—Liz Trussell (@Liztruss) September 5, 2022
In response to congratulations from Andersson, Trussell wrote: "Looking forward to a visit soon! Get the meatballs ready."
Lucas, the Green MP, realized her mistake after tagging Trussell in a scathing tweet saying that Truss "still doesn't get it." The Green Party is ideologically opposed to many views held by the new leader of the Conservative Party.
Lucas quickly followed up with an apology to Trussell, which said that "frankly she'd probably make a better job" of leading the country.
Trussell appeared to take that in good spirits, replying: "I'm in! Vegas for everybody!!!"
—Liz Trussell (@Liztruss) September 5, 2022
Trussell has long been mistaken for the Tory politician on Twitter, including by former Member of European Parliament David Bannerman and columnist Rachel Johnson, the sister of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson — as well as scores of ordinary users tweeting about Truss.
Others who appear to be in on the joke have also tweeted at Trussell.
—Liz Trussell (@Liztruss) September 5, 2022
"Am off to meet Queen Liz tomorrow," she responded to one Twitter user, in reference to the UK's process of a new prime minister being formally appointed by the monarch.
Trussell jokingly apologized to another Twitter user who had castigated the new prime minister for her "blanking" rival Rishi Sunak, saying "sorry I was in Nandos."
Nandos is a low-cost popular fast food chain, not regularly frequented by British prime ministers.
Trussell's experience is similar to that of Virginia-based Twitter user John Lewis, whose @johnlewis handle is frequently used by people trying to reach a UK department store chain of the same name.
The volume of tweets grows during the holiday season, he told the BBC, when gift sales rise and the store mounts a much-talked about advertising campaign — and when Lewis patiently redirects enquiries to @JohnLewisRetail.
He told the outlet that the company annually sends him a gift package by way of thanks.