LONDON (Reuters) – Liz Truss said on Thursday she was stepping down as British prime minister. She resigned just six weeks after taking office, with her economic program disrupting the financial markets, driving up the cost of living for voters and infuriating many of herself. Party.
The Conservative Party, which has a majority in parliament and won’t have to hold a national election for another two years, plans to elect a new leader by 28 October.
That contest will likely pit former finance minister Rishi Sunak against Penny Mordant, but expelled former prime minister Boris Johnson, who was ousted from power in July after his cabinet resigned en masse. may also see a revival of
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Speaking outside the door of his 10 Downing Street office, Truss admitted he had lost faith in the party and said he would resign next week, becoming the shortest prime minister in British history.
“Therefore, I have spoken to His Majesty the King to inform him that I am stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party,” said Truss, who was conspicuously absent from his entourage and loyal cabinet members and supported only by his husband. .
Truss has been elected to lead the Conservative Party in September, six years after being elected to lead the Conservative Party with support from about a third of party MPs, rather than the broader electorate. He became Britain’s fourth prime minister in a year.
She promised tax cuts financed by debt, deregulation, and a sharp right-wing shift on cultural and social issues.
Appointed on Sept. 6, she was forced last week to sack Kwasi Kwarteng, her finance minister and closest political ally. Her and her Conservative Party’s approval ratings collapsed.
On Wednesday, she lost the second of the government’s four most senior ministers and faced laughter as she tried to defend her record against parliament, watching her lawmakers openly tussle over policy. Watching deepened the sense of chaos in Westminster.
New Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt is now scrambling to find tens of billions of pounds of spending cuts to reassure investors and rebuild the reputation of Britain’s public finances.
With the economy in recession and inflation at its highest level in 40 years, millions of Britons are struggling with a cost of living crisis.
Hunt has been ruled out of the leadership race, but plans to submit a new budget proposal on October 31.
DOWNING STREET NEXT RACE
The sight of another unpopular prime minister ousted underscores just how volatile British politics have been since the 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU.
Among those expected to run for the office is Sunak, who remains highly unpopular in parts of the Conservative Party after triggering the Summer Rebellion against Johnson.
Former Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt could also run alongside Suera Braverman, who resigned as Home Secretary on Wednesday.
Johnson, who is still facing an investigation into whether he and his staff misled Congress after he and his staff threw a string of parties during the COVID-19 lockdown, is also a potential candidate. There is a possibility
Since becoming mayor of London in 2008, the face of the 2016 Brexit vote has come a long way in politics.
Conservative MP James Dudridge said on Twitter: “I hope you enjoy your vacation Boss. It’s time to be back.” .
Party members and Conservative MPs are expected to get a say in the vote. Polls earlier this week showed most lawmakers wanted Johnson back, but the betting odds put Snak as the front-runner ahead of Mordaunt, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and Johnson.
As for Truss, he will go down in history as the shortest-serving prime minister, succeeding George Canning, who had been in office for 119 days when he died in 1827.
The Truss’ rapid demise has prompted many Conservative MPs to openly despair about the state of Britain’s most successful party amid the recent turmoil that has hit Westminster.
Asked if they could recover from this, one lawmaker replied, “Not once in a million years.”
The main opposition Labor Party and many voters called for a general election.
Kelly Rogers, 50, told Reuters outside Downing Street, “She was not voted for and certainly no one asked for the decisions she made.” So (it’s) right, she should go.”
“But likewise, she’s just a symbol of her party. It’s a complete mess.”
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Written by Kate Holton. Additional reporting by Farouq Suleiman, William James, Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan and Reuters TV.Editing by Catherine Evans
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