Great Britain
British Prime Minister Liz Truss announces resignation
The pressure was immense, and British Prime Minister Liz Truss has now announced her resignation after around six weeks. She will remain in office until a successor has been appointed, the conservative politician said in London on Thursday. “I recognize that in this situation I am unable to fulfill the mandate by which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to inform him that I am resigning as Conservative Party leader. ” Truss only succeeded Boris Johnson at the beginning of September, who resigned after several scandals and scandals under pressure from his own party. Truss has been fighting for her political survival in office since mid-September after she triggered a fiasco on the financial markets with her tax cut plans and felt compelled to turn around. In her party, resentment and resistance against her grew. According to polls, the Conservatives are about 30 percentage points behind the opposition Labor Party. At the research institute YouGov, Truss is the most unpopular head of government since the surveys began.
Great Britain is sinking into government chaos again: Boris Johnson’s successor, Liz Truss, was in office for just six weeks. Now the party has to find a successor at the top again.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced her resignation after only six weeks in office. “I spoke to the king to let him know that I am stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party,” the Conservative politician said at a short-notice press conference in London’s Downing Street on Thursday. She wants to remain in office as prime minister until a successor is found. This process should take place within the next week.
According to the British news agency PA, Truss is on course to become Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. The pound’s value against the dollar rose briefly after the announcement.
Successor to Liz Truss still unclear
It is unclear who will succeed her. There was initially no clear favorite or clear favourites. Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who recently took office, reportedly declined to run. Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak was defeated by Truss in a runoff election to succeed ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the summer. But he is considered controversial in the group. Parliamentary Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are also considered possible alternatives.
The scandal-plagued British ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to run again for the post. That’s what the newspapers reported “time” and “Telegraph” on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Johnson believes running for office is in the “national interest,” the Times said. Johnson, who was forced to resign in early July after the “Partygate” scandal and many other scandals, still has a loyal supporter base in parts of the party. In polls among party members, Johnson did well again recently.
New prime minister in October
Whoever it is, the Conservative Group wants to have a new British Prime Minister in office by October 31, according to Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Group’s powerful 1922 Committee. “We are very aware of the need in the national interest to get this done very quickly and clearly,” Brady said. In the summer, finding a successor to the scandal-plagued ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson dragged on for weeks.
Labor leader Keir Starmer has called for an immediate general election. Truss had already come into office without a mandate of his own, having replaced the scandal-ridden Boris Johnson last month. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for a general election. “A new election is now a democratic imperative,” wrote the leader of the Scottish National Party SNP on Twitter on Thursday.
Resignation due to financial chaos
Truss has been under a lot of pressure since she unleashed 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. On Monday, Hunt reversed almost all elements of its tax policy, which was only announced at the end of September. He announced that the energy price cap, which was actually intended for two years, would be limited to six months.
On Wednesday, the departure of Home Secretary Suella Braverman accelerated the government’s decay. 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. Many observers described the scenes as never having happened. Labor MP Chris Bryant told the BBC Conservative colleagues cried on his shoulder.
Sturgeon calls for new elections
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called for a general election in the UK after the collapse of the British government. “A new election is now a democratic imperative,” wrote the Scot on Thursday on twitter. “There are no words to adequately describe this shambles,” said Sturgeon. Ordinary citizens would have to pay the price for this. The interests of the conservative Tory party, which wants to find a successor to Truss within a week, should now play no role.
Around 24 hours before her resignation, Truss had protested at Question Time in the British House of Commons that she did not want to give up and that she was “a fighter”. Although she pointed out the difficult economic times and the political instability across the continent, she also admitted that she could no longer implement her vision of radical economic growth under the current conditions.