As wind and rain battered Greater Manchester on Thursday afternoon, the weather seemed to match the mood of the nation. Following a combative Prime Minister's Questions and a chaotic evening in the House of Commons, a day earlier, Liz Truss announced her resignation at 1.30pm - all but officially bringing her tumultuous reign as Prime Minister to an end after just 44 days.
Of course, for real people living in each of the city-regions 10 boroughs, the parliamentary pantomime that has unfolded in the past few days and weeks have diverted the news agenda away from the real issue of the rocketing cost of living and how people are going to afford to feed themselves and heat their homes, with winter approaching. With the country's leadership now very much back in the air, those struggling will have to wait even longer to hear whether a new Prime Minister has any realistic ideas of how to help alleviate the crisis.
Despite the inclement weather, there were still quite a few shoppers in Bury town centre as the news broke about Ms Truss' resignation. It meant that for some people, the news was inadvertently broken to them when Manchester Evening News approached them for a chat.
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Christine O'Kane, 73, said: "Oh thank God for that, I thought she was never gonna do it! I think she's been disgusting but I never vote Conservative any way.
"They don't know or care how we live so I'd like them to come up here. They asked her about fracking [on BBC Radio Lancashire] and they asked her about Preston and she said she'd never been. She's no idea."
When asked about how she has been affected by increasing energy bills and the cost of living crisis, Christine admitted that when it is 'too cold' she wraps herself in blankets and has an early night - something that is objectively sad and shocking, but that has almost become normalised for many people with how things are unfolding.
"I've been very careful about my heating, only having it coming on a couple of hours in the morning and the same at tea time," she said. "I feel sorry for the young families - those that suffer and are on benefits - they can't manage on those these days.
"I wrap myself up in blankets and I go to bed if it gets too cold and I can't afford the heating. Luckily, I'm in credit [with my energy bills] at the moment but if I pop my clogs who gets that?"
Young single mum Lauren Horridge was in the town centre with her little boy Caleb, aged two. They were on their way to pick up Lauren's daughter Willow, four, from school.
Asked whether the recent political posturing had been a distraction, the 26-year-old said: "A bit, yeah. It's been hard as a single mum recently because you're trying to keep the energy use down with the bills getting so high.
"I've got two little kids so if it's cold, I've got to put it on for them but it has got a bit ridiculous When you're on your own and you have two little ones, it's hard giving them everything they need.
Janet Ambler told the M.E.N that she still works, despite being 73-years-old. She said that she thinks Bury has been forgotten about and did not seem to think that Ms Truss stepping down would change anything.
She added: "Food prices have doubled and shops are closing because they can't afford their rents. There's no point in worrying because we're going have to do as we're told anyway like we always do, so what's the point?"
Another Greater Manchester town that was in the news as part of Ms Truss' final PMQs is Leigh, when local Tory MP James Grundy used his question to ask whether she would congratulate Leigh Centurions on being promoted to the Super League. Ian Shuttleworth said that he used to be interested in politics 'when it was Harold Wilson and Margaret Thatcher' but admitted that he wouldn't know who James Grundy was if he walked down Bradshawgate.
The 67-year-old said: "I've had all the WhatsApp jokes coming through that there was with Boris, with Sam Allardyce outside Number 10, so I assumed she'd been kicked out. I never vote because they're all a joke, whoever's in just lies through their teeth and I've not voted for about 30 years, I bet.
"I'm a pensioner and I'm doing alright but I'm renting and a lot of that money goes straight away, I could start to struggle if it goes up much more. They kept talking about this 45pc and giving more money to the rich and not those who actually need it. It sums it all up."
Meanwhile, Carol Berry, 76, had travelled to Leigh from Swinton and she has noticed the price of one food in particular rocket. "You can't buy crisps anymore, they've doubled," she noted.
Over in the borough of Bolton, Farnworth is part of a constituency that has always been Labour in Bolton South East. Historically, the town is as safe a red seat as you can imagine and you would have to go back to 1931 to find an MP that was anywhere right of centre.
Of Ms Truss' resignation, Sarah Davis, 36, said: "Finally, it's not going to change though because they all do the same thing.
"I think they need to stop and help out the people who are struggling more. Instead of taking money from people who are really struggling and on the breadline and giving it to the higher people, it needs to be the other way round."
Danielle Berry admitted that she has the heating on in mornings and evenings, but only because of her daughter, who has autism, as well as her three pet dogs. The 41-year-old said that if she lived alone, she wouldn't bother, as her energy bill has gone up to around £4,000 per year.
She said: "My heating's horrific, mine's just gone up to £350 a month so it's over £4,000 a year and it wasn't cheap before that but I think it was about £80 to start with, then it went to £240, then again. I've got three chihuahuas and my daughter is autistic and she has learning difficulties so to say to her 'it's cold, put your socks, pyjamas and dressing gown on' she just doesn't get it.
"So to keep them warm I have it on morning and evening. If it was just myself, I wouldn't put it on and would just put more jumpers on. Even with shopping, I can't spend less than £100 a week for the two of us. It used to be a bit more but I've really tried to pull it back."
Danielle expressed disdain towards the 'fighting' in the House of Commons and told the M.E.N that she recently broke down in tears at seeing the plight of some of those suffering in other parts of the country, when it was featured on the TV news. She added: "On Wednesday with what went on with government and the fighting, you just think 'there's serious issues going on here and this is a distraction' because everything is so expensive at the moment.
"On the news the other night they were in the North East and there was a little old lady who didn't even have a toaster and because she said it's too expensive to put the grill on so having a piece of toast is a luxury. I was crying my eyes out and even though I've not got spare cash, I just wanted to buy her a toaster.
"It's bad enough for us but I can't imagine the position some people are in. I'd hate for my nanna to be alive right now, she wouldn't manage, I'd have to tell her to come live with me."
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