London – British Prime Minister Liz Truss He later resigned on Thursday Just six weeks in officesent a disastrous and rapidly reversing economic plan The fall of the pound And his government is in disarray.
duly appointed Queen Elizabeth II on September 6Just days before the monarch’s death, Truss was now the shortest-serving prime minister in British history and will be remembered as one of the most disastrous.
In the early 19th century George Canning lasted 119 days; Truss announced his resignation 44 days later.
A leadership contest to determine the next leader of the ruling Conservative Party, who will naturally become the next prime minister, is now underway and will conclude next week. The opposition Labor Party has called for an immediate national election.
On Wednesday, Dress He assured Parliament during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session that he was a “fighter, not a quitter”.
But leading the ruling party is possible only with respect and credibility. The truss was increasingly short of both, and dropped out after a day.
“Given the circumstances, I recognize that I cannot deliver the mandate that I was elected by the Conservative Party,” he said on Thursday, no. said in a brief, unrepentant speech outside 10 Downing St.
“So I have spoken to Her Majesty the King to announce my resignation as leader of the Conservative Party.”
He concluded the statement: “I will remain Prime Minister until a successor is chosen.”
Attention has already turned to what happens next.
His predecessor, Boris Johnson, has been called for a dramatic comeback months after he resigned under pressure from his own party and the public in the wake of a wave of scandals.
Johnson’s former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who pointed out the folly of Truss’s economic plans, is a favorite to replace him. He was second only to Truss after Johnson. There is support in the party for Penny Mordaunt, a veteran who stood up for Truss in Parliament earlier this week and assured lawmakers that the prime minister would not be hiding under the desk.
But with no clear successor in sight, there may be more uncertain days ahead.
Truss’s departure follows a night of dramatic scenes in parliament, with lawmakers reportedly bringing some colleagues to tears by condemning the government’s strong-arm tactics, and growing calls for him to move within his own party.
With Graham Brady, a senior Conservative lawmaker overseeing leadership challenges, he is the No. Lurking inside 10 Downing St. Brady is perhaps better than anyone at judging a leader’s support within the party — and as of Thursday morning, the picture was clear.
Truss, 47, has promised a radical turnaround in Britain’s economic fortunes, turning it into a low-tax, high-growth country that will unleash its potential post-Brexit.
In practice, “Trussonomics” was a complete failure and became his political epitaph.
His first finance minister was Kwasi Kwarteng. Announced 45 billion pounds ($48 billion) saw unfunded tax cuts, spiraling government borrowing, emergency intervention by the Bank of England and condemnation from the International Monetary Fund.
Kwarteng was soon dismissed, and his successor, Jeremy Hunt, proceeded to reverse almost all of the controversial policies. Despite the U-turn, Britain is still dealing with the fallout from the scheme, record inflation and rising mortgage rates.
While in office, Truss became a figure of ridicule. Compared favorably to rotting lettuce A blonde wig in a tabloid newspaper stunt. His personal approval rating fell to minus 70, according to pollsters UK, making him the most unpopular party leader in British history. The centre-left Labor Party surged in the polls.
Its leader, Keir Starmer, called for a national election in a statement shortly after Trudeau’s resignation.
“The British people deserve better than this revolving door of chaos,” he said said.
Truss never won a national election.
He won the Conservative leadership contest and became Prime Minister by default: in Britain’s unwritten constitution, the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons is called upon to form a government.
The Conservatives, now known as the Tories, will begin their search for a fifth leader in six years.
Some Tories have warned against choosing the next leader without letting the British people have their say.
Most former prime ministers choose to become a backbencher – a member of parliament without a government job representing their district – or to step down to trigger a by-election.
It remains to be seen whether he will continue to serve in his constituency in south-west Norfolk, in the east of England, or leave to do something completely different.
Within minutes of his resignation, reactions poured in from around the world.
President Joe Biden said in a statement that the United States and Britain are strong allies and that fact will never change.
“I thank Prime Minister Liz Truss for her partnership on a number of issues, including holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine,” he said.
“We will continue our close collaboration with the UK Government as we work together to address the global challenges facing our countries,” he added.
Last week, Biden called out Truss’s abandoned tax cut plan “Wrong.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Britain had never known a leader more disgraced, adding that Truss would be remembered for his “disastrous illiteracy”.
Truss has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine. Any successor is likely to continue that position.
French President Emmanuel Macron, arriving at an EU summit in Brussels, said it was important for Britain to “find stability soon”, Reuters reported.
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