Mayhem in London
Tory party wants quick successor after Truss resigns
Liz Truss announces her resignation as Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street. photo
© Adrien Fillon/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
What comes after Liz Truss’ disastrous end as British Prime Minister? Britain’s Conservatives want to settle this issue as soon as possible – but the party is deeply divided.
After the resignation of British Prime Minister Liz Truss, the conservative Tory faction is working flat out to elect a successor. Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak or cabinet member Penny Mordaunt and ex-Interior Secretary Suella Braverman, representing the right-wing party, are considered promising candidates. However, a renewed candidacy by the scandal-plagued ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson is causing the greatest speculation.
The “Times” wrote that the politician, who only left office in the summer, assumes that running again is in the “national interest”. Johnson, who was forced to resign in early July after the “Partygate” scandal and many other scandals, still has a loyal support base. In polls among party members, he recently did well again. Other Tory MPs warn of a Johnson comeback. But there is no consensus in the deeply divided party when it comes to other applicants either.
A week time
A new head of government should be elected by Friday next week at the latest. To go into the race, candidates need the backing of at least 100 MPs, as the party announced on Thursday. Nominations can be received until Monday (3:00 p.m. CEST). If more than two candidates pass this hurdle, votes should take place between them in the parliamentary group. If there are two finalists, the party base can decide between them in an online vote during the week.
“We are very aware of the need, in the interests of the national interest, to regulate this very quickly and clearly,” said the head of the responsible parliamentary group committee, Graham Brady. In the summer, finding the new party leader had dragged on for weeks.
Outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss will remain in office until the change. The 47-year-old announced her resignation on Thursday after massive criticism from her own ranks. She will go down in history as the shortest-serving prime minister ever. Truss admitted that she could no longer implement her vision of radical economic growth, for which her party had elected her.
Resignation followed resignation
The right-wing conservative politician came under massive pressure after she had triggered financial chaos with planned tax breaks and later had to turn around. Only last Friday, Truss fired her Treasury Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, and replaced her with former Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt. Hunt reversed almost all elements of the tax policy that had only been announced at the end of September.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman also resigned on Wednesday in an angry letter. There were also tumultuous scenes in Parliament. In some cases, conservative MPs are said to have been intimidated and pressured into voting for the government in a vote.
Are there new elections?
The opposition parties are calling for immediate new elections instead of renewed internal Tory competition. The country cannot afford another experiment at the head of the Tory party, said Labor Party leader and opposition leader Keir Starmer. His party is ready to take over government affairs. Labor is currently miles ahead of the Tories in polls.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called a new election a “democratic imperative”. Due to the poor poll numbers, however, it has so far been considered unlikely that a conservative head of government will call an election in the near future. This must not take place until the beginning of 2025 at the latest.