Britain’s Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned from her position after 45 days in office – the shortest tenure of any British prime minister.
The announcement, made by Truss outside Downing Street in London, follows the near-complete evaporation of her political authority which saw markets crash and shed the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
There will be a leadership election within a week, Truss said in her resignation speech.
“I recognize that, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative party,” she continued.
Her leaving came shortly after Truss met with the chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative lawmakers, Graham Brady. The 1922 Committee sets the rules for selecting and changing the party’s leader, with reports stating that Truss was the one to call the meeting.
“This morning I met the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady. We’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week. This will ensure that we remain on behalf to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security. I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen,” Truss said.
On Thursday, a member of the committee said that the “odds are against” Truss surviving the day as premier.
The day before, chaos ensued in parliament over a fracking vote that was also being treated as a confidence vote. Lawmakers argued openly and members of the opposition party – Labor – reported seeing “manhandling” and tears from Conservative lawmakers.
Just hours before that, Interior Minister Suella Braverman resigned from her role – less than a week after Kwasi Kwarteng’s resignation – making her the shortest-serving interior minister since World War II.
Source: Agencies
