Will there be general election? What happens now Liz Truss has stepped down as Prime Minister, who would replace her and is a general election likely?

Liz Truss has announced her resignation after a chaotic 44 days in office, with many people calling for a general election, despite the outgoing PM announcing a leadership contest.

She is set to become the shortest serving Prime Minister in history after she battled an open revolt from Conservatives demanding her departure. Speaking 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”. “This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plan and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security,” she added.

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The Prime Minister had aimed to quash any calls for a general election or leadership challenge, telling MPs “I’m sticking around because I was elected to deliver for this country.” However, only 81,326 Conservative Party members – or 0.17 per cent of the national electorate – voted for Liz Truss in the Conservative leadership contest.

MPs during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London.MPs during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London.
MPs during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London.

Despite calls from Sir Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon and some MPs, is a general election likely? Here’s everything you need to know and how is the UK in such a situation just over six weeks into the premiership of Liz Truss?

How many days has Liz Truss been Prime Minister?

Liz Truss was elected as Conservative Party leader on September 5 and took over as Prime Minister the following day. Her premiership had barely begun when politics ground to a halt following the death of the Queen.

The pivotal event of her time in office was then-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget on September 23, which triggered turmoil in the financial markets and required an emergency intervention by the Bank of England to support Government bonds.

A chaotic party conference followed, overshadowed by a U-turn on the policy to scrap the 45p rate of income tax, with daunting poll leads for Labour adding to unease on the Tory benches. Mr Kwarteng was sacked and replaced by Jeremy Hunt, who junked almost all of the tax cuts which had been a key part of Ms Truss’s appeal to party members.

Things seemed to have calmed down until the calamitous events of October 19.

On October 20, she resigned after 44 days in power.

What happened in the Commons fracking vote?

Ms Truss was defiant at Prime Minister’s Questions, insisting “I am a fighter, not a quitter” and promising to protect the triple-lock on pensions increases, something which had been another bone of contention with her backbenchers.

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But things unravelled in dramatic fashion after that, with Suella Braverman resigning as home secretary over a breach of ministerial rules relating to sending an official document from her personal email.

Her resignation letter suggested the real reason for her departure was a blazing row with Ms Truss over immigration policy, raising “serious concerns” about the Government and its “commitment to honouring manifesto commitments, such as reducing overall migration numbers”.

On Wednesday evening there were ugly scenes in the Commons as Tory MPs were ordered to vote against a Labour motion on fracking.

Chief Whip Wendy Morton was rumoured to have resigned, only for No 10 to confirm she remained in place.

Can there be a general election?

It is important to note that the Conservatives have two more years before they need to call a general election, however, many have called for such a vote amid the chaotic scenes in parliament. Despite this, a general election doesn’t need to be called until January 2025, when the parliamentary term runs out.

As it stands, parliament will automatically dissolve on Tuesday 17 December, 2024, unless it has been dissolved sooner by King Charles III.

Polling day would then be expected to take place 25 days later, meaning the latest possible date for an election is Tuesday 24 January, 2025.

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said: “An utter shambles. This can’t go on. General Election now” while Sir Keir Starmer has renewed his call for an immediate general election, accusing Liz Truss’s government of being too mired in “pathetic squabbles” to govern the UK.

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Some Conservative MPs have stated that if Boris Johnson returns they will resign, which could trigger a by election in their seats.

How can a general election be called? Who can call an election in the UK?

There a few ways that a general election can be called in the UK – with the most common being the current government calling for a general election as outlined in the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 “reviving the power of the monarch to dissolve Parliament, at the request of the prime minister of the day”

This has been the case for the last two elections in that the Prime Minister have called them early, with Theresa May calling an early election in 2017 and Boris Johnson calling another early election in 2019.

A general election can also be called through a parliamentary motion of no confidence in the Government, which can be tabled by the opposition. The vote would need to pass through a majority of the Commons’ 650 MPs to dissolve parliament – however, while Labour could table such a vote, it would require the a significant rebellion from the Conservative MPs to pass, which is unlikely.

If it was to pass, the Prime Minister would then be expected to either to resign or to request a dissolution of Parliament – however, with polling showing that many Tory MPs would not regain their seat, it is unlikely that they would vote with Labour or any other Opposition on such a motion.

Who can trigger a by-election?

If Conservative MPs feel opposed to the current stance of the party, or want to try and rebel against the new leader – they could resign and force a by election in the seat.

How will the next Conservative leader be decided?

Candidates will need a minimum of 100 colleagues (other Conservative MPs) nominating them to proceed to the ballot.

“We fixed a high threshold but a threshold that should be achievable by any serious candidate who has a prospect of going through,” Sir Graham said.

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He said it would mean a maximum of three candidates on the ballot paper for MPs to vote on.

If there are three, the candidate with the fewest number of votes after the first ballot will be eliminated. That first round is to be held between 3.30pm and 5.30pm on Monday with the result announced at 6pm.

Then, in a change in procedure since the last leadership contest, there will be an “indicative” vote once only two candidates are left.

This will be held between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Monday, with the result announced at 9pm.

The hope is perhaps that the loser of the “indicative” vote may drop out of the race, in which case a new leader emerges without the involvement of Tory party members.

When David Cameron quit, the leadership contest did not go to a vote of party members as Theresa May was left unopposed following Andrea Leadsom’s withdrawal from the race.

If neither drops out, this final vote by MPs will allow Tory members to know – which they did not in the last election – the preferred of the two candidates of the parliamentary party, potentially dissuading them from choosing the other.

What happens after the parliamentary stage of the contest?

If two candidates end up remaining, Tory members across the country who joined the party at least three months ago will have a say.

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Tory party chairman Jake Berry said: “We have decided that if the party should decide to put forward two candidates there would be an expedited, binding, online vote of Conservative Party members to choose its next leader”.

The ballot will close at 11am on Friday, October 28, with the result announced later that day.

Why did Liz Truss resign as Prime Minister?

Upon resigning, Liz Truss announced there would be a leadership contest. If she is forced to resign, that could trigger a leadership contest – something the Conservatives may be keen to avoid, given that the fallout from the race between Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak is partly to blame for the toxic atmosphere within the Tory ranks.

Ms Truss was protected from a confidence vote during the first 12 months of her leadership, but it became clear she could not command the support of her MPs.

What has happened when Prime Ministers have quit in the past?

When David Cameron quit, the leadership contest did not go to a vote of party members as Theresa May was left unopposed following Andrea Leadsom’s withdrawal from the race – although MPs had taken part in a series of votes to get to the final two.

In 2003, there was no contest but instead a coronation as Michael Howard took the job unopposed.

But finding a unity candidate in the current Tory Party would appear to be a tall order.

Who may replace Liz Truss as Conservative leader or Prime Minister?

It appears unlikely that critics of Ms Truss will have the ready replacement required for a coup to succeed – and with Jeremy Hunt expected to deliver his mini budget such a coup may be held until after it has been delivered.

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Names bandied around as potential successors have included Boris Johnson – despite being forced out earlier this year – Kit Malthouse, Grant Shapps, Sajid Javid, Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, a popular figure within the party, has insisted he wants to remain in his current job, while Jeremy Hunt is currently effectively exercising power as Chancellor, having dismantled Ms Truss’s economic platform.

The departure of Ms Braverman from the Government could make her a focal point for MPs on the Tory right, but she is unlikely to prove a unifying figure.