LIZ Truss has today resigned as Prime Minister – becoming the shortest serving premier the UK has ever had.
A Tory leadership race will now begin and a new PM will be chosen by next Friday.
But who do you want to take on the top job?
Take our Sun Online poll:
Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Ben Wallace are the top frontrunners to be the next PM after Liz Truss resigned, according to the bookies.
Betfair has the ex-Chancellor as favourite to take over from her after the week-long leadership election to come.
Other candidates include former PM Boris Johnson, Kemi Badenoch and Suella Braverman – who yesterday was sacked from her role as home secretary.
And the decision will be made in just days with the next Tory leader to be chosen on Friday, October 28, 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady has confirmed.
Liz Truss today quit as PM in a dramatic speech outside No 10
However, while the Tory party chooses their next leader, it is unclear if there will be a general election after the chaotic past few days.
General elections normally take place every five years, however, sometimes a Parliament might ask the monarchy to dissolve the current office or the monarch decides to do so, meaning it could be sooner.
The last general election was called in December 2019, as Boris Johnson called one early.
Today, the Labour party are pushing for an immediate general election in the wake of Truss’ resignation.
In a day of political chaos…
- Liz Truss dramatically RESIGNS as Prime Minister after just 44 days in office;
- Top contenders to take over from Liz Truss are revealed;
- Truss’s 44-day stint as PM is set to be the shortest in British history;
- Truss said she had spoken to the King on Thursday to notify him of her resignation; A new Prime Minister will be elected in days as today’s resignation sparks a leadership election
- The pound has rallied following the dramatic resignation;
Ms Truss’ downfall began just days into her premiership, when the disastrous mini budget was announced.
The £45bn tax bonfire sent mortgages soaring and the pound plummeting.
It caused uproar among Tory MPs who questioned why the PM was cutting taxes for the rich as hard up Brits suffer in a crippling cost of living crisis.
Ms Truss tried to save her career by bringing in the more moderate Jeremy Hunt to replace ally Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor.
Mr Hunt tore the mini budget to shreds, a move that calmed down markets.
But the damage had been done and restless MPs began calling for the PM’s head.
LIZ TRUSS’ FINAL FAREWELL
And just hours after Liz Truss insisted she would remain – and a day after she insisted she was a “fighter not a quitter” – the Prime Minister resigned from the top job.
Speaking outside No10 today, she spoke for just 90 seconds to announce her resignation.
She said: “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 had been held back for too long by low economic growth.
“I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this.
“We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance.
“And we set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy – that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.
“I recognise though, given the situation, 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.”
Rishi Sunak could take on the top job
Penny Mordaunt also could put her hat in the ring to become the next PM
Ben Wallace is another contender who could run
Boris Johnson could have another run at being PM
