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
Joe Lycett simply couldn’t resist a dig after he made headlines during a Liz Truss appearance on the BBC
Liz Truss will still have to meet the King in person to formally tender her resignation, as is tradition.
This will take place immediately before the monarch asks her successor, also in person, to form a government.
Charles as sovereign plays an important constitutional role in the appointment of a new prime minister.
The Royal Encyclopedia states that the appointment of a prime minister is “one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign”.
It says that, in the normal course of events, the monarch does not act on advice nor need to consult anyone before calling upon the leader with an overall majority of seats in the House of Commons to form a government.
But the monarch is guided by constitutional conventions and can seek advice from the outgoing prime minister, any other political leader, senior privy counsellors, or whomever they please within the limits of prudence and caution.
The King spoke to Liz Truss on the phone, when she informed him she was resigning, the same day as holding the first credentials presentations of his reign at Buckingham Palace.
Lettuce update
A lettuce that has been recorded on a live stream has officially lasted longer than the Prime Minister.
Liz Truss issued her resignation on Thursday afternoon after only 44 days as leader of the country.
A live stream, created by the Daily Star, asked the question “Which wet lettuce will last longer?”, referring to the Prime Minister and an actual lettuce.
The stunt, which began on October 14, was inspired by a column in The Economist which referred to the Prime Minister as an “iceberg lady” and said she had “the shelf-life of a lettuce”.
A day before Truss resigned, the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords, Baroness Smith of Basildon, also referenced the lettuce.
Government minister Sir James Duddridge said it was time for a comeback by Boris Johnson.
Tweeting with the hashtag #bringbackboris, he said: “I hope you enjoyed your holiday boss. Time to come back. Few issues at the office that need addressing.”
Sir James had served as a parliamentary private secretary to Mr Johnson when he was in No 10.
US president Joe Biden said in a statement: “The United States and the United Kingdom are strong Allies and enduring friends — and that fact will never change.
“I thank Prime Minister Liz Truss for her partnership on a range of issues including holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine.
“We will continue our close cooperation with the U.K. government as we work together to meet the global challenges our nations face.”
MP Bob Seely, who backed Penny Mordaunt in the summer’s Conservative Party leadership contest, said he hoped she would run for leader.
Mr Seely also said he predicted “quite a high threshold” for MPs to stand for leader, while also indicating that he did not want to “go back” to the time when Boris Johnson was leader.
“Good luck to Boris. I don’t want to go back to a few months ago where we were so whoever is going to get through I think there’s going to be quite a high threshold,” he told Sky News.
“And I will see personally who those candidates are when they get the numbers.”
Backing Ms Mordaunt, Mr Seely said: “I think she has a great set of qualities. She has lots of ministerial experience. I think she comes across very well. And I think she resonates with people.
“Right now when we are facing a couple of international crises, both in energy, but also in the Ukraine war, having somebody with stature, with government experience, who can resonate with people, I think is really important.”
Former prime minister Theresa May said Tory MPs must be prepared to compromise to ensure there is a “sensible, competent government”.
She said: “The Prime Minister is right to provide a roadmap for an orderly transition.
“MPs must now be prepared to compromise.
“It is our duty to provide sensible, competent government at this critical moment for our country.”
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has welcomed the departure of Liz Truss as prime minister, saying that “Britain has never known such a disgrace of a prime minister,” and that Truss “would be remembered for her catastrophic illiteracy”.
The UK will have seven living ex-prime ministers for the first time in modern history when Liz Truss stands down.
She will join Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown, Sir Tony Blair and Sir John Major in what has become a fast-expanding group of former PMs.
The number of surviving ex-prime ministers has more than doubled in the past 15 years.
When Mr Brown became PM in 2007, only three of his predecessors were still alive: Sir Tony, Sir John and Baroness Margaret Thatcher.
The increase reflects both the rapid turnover of prime ministers in recent years and the age of those who have held the office.