After her policies caused economic instability and dramatically polarized the Conservative Party, British Prime Minister Liz Truss said she would step down as party leader. On Thursday, October 20, Truss said she could not keep the commitments she made while vying for Conservative leader because she had lost the confidence of her party. She was speaking outside her Downing Street office.
According to Aljazeera, she said in a hastily arranged statement “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.”
As soon as Truss announces her resignation as Conservative Party leader, a vote to choose her replacement will take place.
Truss, who has just been prime minister for 45 days, declared that she will continue to lead the party and serve as prime minister until a replacement is chosen. According to Graham Brady, the 1922 Committee chair for the Conservative Party, the leadership race should be over by October 28, 2022. Immediately hold general elections, according to the opposition Labour party.
“The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people. We need a general election – now,” opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement.
The Conservative Party “has shown it no longer has the mandate to govern,” he added. “After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos.”
Source: Aljazeera
