Liz Truss was on Thursday morning forced to quit as UK prime minister, drawing to a dramatic close 45 days in office that saw her preside over an economic meltdown and catastrophic damage to the ruling Conservative party. Truss was asked to quit by senior party figures, leaving bitterly divided Tory MPs facing the prospect of having to choose a third prime minister in a matter of months. According to the PM her successor will be elected in a Tory leadership contest, to be completed in the next week. In a brief statement in Downing Street at 1.35pm, Truss said she had notified King Charles she was standing down as Conservative leader and that a new leader and prime minister would be chosen next week.
Her Resignation Speech:
“I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.
Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent.
And our country had been held back for too long by low economic growth.
I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this. We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance.
And we set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy – that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.
I recognise though, 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.
This morning I met the Chair of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady. We have agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week.
This will ensure we remain on a path 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.
Thank you.”
Truss will go down in history as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister.
