Liz Truss was forced to resign as the United Kingdom prime minister on Thursday, 20 October 2022, after only serving 45 days in office.
Liz Truss resigns as UK Prime Minister: Here’s what we know
As per SABC News, senior party figures told Truss to resign on Thursday morning, leaving bitterly divided Tory MPs with the job of electing a third prime minister in the coming months.
Truss confirmed her resignation in a statement outside Downing Street.
“I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills, Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent and our country has been held back for too long by low economic growth,” Liz stated.
Watch her statement below:
Truss met with Graham Brady, a senior Conservative lawmaker who oversees leadership challenges, in her office at 10 Downing Street. Brady was tasked with determining whether the prime minister still had the support of Conservative lawmakers in the House of Commons. Unfortunately, it appeared that she did not.
After chaotic scenes in Parliament on Wednesday night during a vote on fracking for shale gas, a practice that Truss wants to resume despite opposition from several Conservative lawmakers.
An opposition call for a fracking ban was easily defeated due to the Conservative party’s parliamentary majority. However, there were outbursts of rage in the Commons, where party whips were charged with using coercive methods to win over voters.
Since taking office on 6 September 2022, Truss’ economic strategy has failed. On 14 October 2022, Truss fired her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng. Additionally, her home secretary Suella Braverman was forced to resign on Wednesday, 19 October 2022.
Truss will resume her duties as prime minister until a successor is elected.
The public reacts to Truss’ resignation
The public has taken to social media to share their thoughts and opinions on Truss’ resignation. See their reactions below:
