Politics LIVE: Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister triggering leadership contest
Liz Truss has stood down and a leadership election will be triggered – with a new PM to be in power next week.
She is set to become the shortest serving Prime Minister in history after she battled an open revolt from Conservatives demanding her departure.
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Hide AdSpeaking from a lectern in Downing Street, Ms Truss said she had told the King she was resigning as the leader of the Conservative Party as she recognised she “cannot deliver the mandate” which Tory members gave her little over six weeks ago.
She held talks with the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives Sir Graham Brady and agreed to a fresh leadership election “to be completed within the next week”.
We’ll bring you live updates following a day of crisis for the government in Westminster in our live blog throughout the day.
Politics LIVE: Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister triggering leadership contest
Tory MP Henry Smith has called for Liz Truss to go as he warned “solid leadership” has been “distinctly lacking” from Downing Street in recent weeks.
He told Times Radio: “I think we need new leadership. I think she should do the honourable thing and say that her premiership has made the wrong calls, not just once or twice but consistently since coming into office almost two months ago, and that now it’s time for strong leadership to come back to this country.
“I’ve been a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee for the past two-and-a-half years, so I saw her in action, scrutinising her when she was foreign secretary, and I have to say, I did fear that she may be out of her depth as Prime Minister.”
Asked what comes next, Mr Smith said: “I think events will probably gain momentum in the coming hours and days… I think members should be involved as much as possible in choosing the leader but as you have pointed out, and many others, time is pressing, and we can’t delay.”
Tory MP Steve Double has joined calls for his party to unite behind a candidate such as Rishi Sunak to replace Liz Truss after scenes in the Commons that he said “were unprecedented and beggars belief”.
Reiterating his call for the Prime Minister to go, the St Austell and Newquay MP issued a statement saying: “The Prime Minister has lost control of the Government and the confidence of Conservative MPs.
“For the good of the country, she needs to resign.
“Rishi Sunak’s predictions about the disastrous consequences of Liz Truss’s policies have been proven right. We now need someone like him to step up to show that they can get a grip on the situation and lead from the front.
“Whilst Rishi would be my preference, I am willing to get behind anyone who will provide the leadership we need, is up to the job and will get back to delivering on the 2019 manifesto we were elected on.”
Miriam Cates, Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge and a member of the 1922 Committee, told Times Radio: “It’s time for the Prime Minister to go.”
She added: “I think the Prime Minister has lost the confidence of MPs and we’re in a real mess, aren’t we?”
Liz Truss is battling an open revolt as the number of Tory MPs demanding her resignation swelled after a calamitous 24 hours for her premiership.
The number of Conservatives publicly calling for the Prime Minister to quit doubled to a dozen within the space of a couple of hours on Thursday morning.
Here are the Tory MPs that have called for Liz Truss to stand down
- Crispin Blunt
- Andrew Bridgen
- Jamie Wallis
- Angela Richardson
- Sir Charles Walker
- William Wragg
- Sheryll Murray
- Gary Streeter
- Henry Smith
- Steve Double
- Miriam Cates
- Siobhan Baillie
- Matthew Offord
Prime Minister Liz Truss is meeting Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, No 10 has confirmed.
The meeting is not believed to have been scheduled earlier today.
Downing Street has denied that there is any change to Liz Truss’s plan to stay in No 10 beyond the fiscal plan on October 31.
Asked the question, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “No plans for any change. The Prime Minister will continue beyond the 31st”.
Downing Street has not denied reports that Liz Truss authorised briefings against Sajid Javid and Michael Gove.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “You know the Prime Minister takes this very seriously. She thinks it’s very important to treat Parliamentary colleagues courteously.”
Ms Truss worked for years with Mr Javid and Mr Gove and has “deep respect” for them, the official added.
But he did not refute a Times report that she authorised one of her closest aides to accuse Mr Gove of being a “sadist”.