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5 October 2022

Liz Truss speaks for 36 minutes, the shortest conference address in recent history

The Prime Minister’s speech was less than two-thirds of the average length.

By Ben Walker

Liz Truss’s debut Conservative Party conference speech as leader ran for 36 minutes, including applause. While the address didn’t lack substance – there was certainly a lot to digest – it was the shortest conference address by a leader of one of the main two political parties in recent history.

The average conference address is around 56 minutes; Truss’s was less than two-thirds of that length.

The longest conference speech in recent years was by Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, running to 71 minutes, following Labour’s gains at the general election that year.

[See also: Liz Truss wants to govern a country that does not exist]

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