I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party
By Moses Okorie
365Daily – Liz Truss has become the shortest-serving prime minister in British history after announcing her resignation just 44 days of being on the saddle as the head of government.
Truss announced her resignation on Thursday after criticism thrilled her economic policy.
In a statement read outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said: “I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability.
“Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.”
She said she was elected “with a mandate to change this”, adding: “We delivered on energy bills.”
“I recognise, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party,” she said.
“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 chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady. We’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.”
Ms Truss will remain as PM until her successor has been chosen.
Sir Graham said they expect to conclude a leadership election by Friday 28 October with a new PM in place in time for the 31 October fiscal statement.
He said Tory members are expected to be able to vote but the candidates could be whittled down to just one.
A senior Tory source suggested MPs would have to put their nominations in by Monday.
Ms Truss’ resignation came just a little over 24 hours after she told MPs she was a “fighter, not a quitter”.
There has been much speculation about who could replace Ms Truss, with new chancellor Jeremy Hunt one of the main names being suggested.