Liz Truss resigns as Britain’s Prime Minister following catastrophic six-week tenure
Liz Truss’s quick political demise came to an end on Thursday, when she announced her resignation little over six weeks after becoming Britain’s leader. Her agenda had stalled, her own party had turned against her, and analysts were debating whether she could survive a head of lettuce. She couldn’t do it. Despite strong calls for her resignation, she had promised to carry on. But the heat on her grew minute by minute until there was no way out. Ms. Truss was appointed to replace Boris Johnson, who was elected in 2019 but flamed out spectacularly following a series of scandals, leading him to step down in July. Ms. Truss was not elected by the general public; rather, she won a leadership election among Conservative Party members. To succeed Mr. Johnson, the party’s MPs limited a field of candidates to two, who were then submitted to a vote by the party’s 160,000 dues-paying members. Ms. Truss, 47, had been Mr. Johnson’s hardline foreign secretary, a free-market advocate, and eventual Brexit backer (after she changed her mind), winning over the party’s right flank despite her more moderate history. (When she was a student at Oxford, she was a member of the moderate Liberal Democrats before joining the Conservative Party.)
It was never going to be simple for her. As Ms. Truss took office, the country was facing an unstable macroeconomic picture, underlined by energy costs that were expected to rise by 80 percent in October and again in January. It threatened to drive millions of Britons, who were already struggling with inflation and other issues, into destitution, unable to heat or power their homes.
So it was disappointing news when her signature economic ideas exacerbated the situation.
Her stated tax cuts, deregulation, and borrowing plans frightened global markets, causing the British pound to fall to a historic low versus the US dollar. The Bank of England intervened to support government bonds in an unprecedented move to calm markets.
Her free-market goals were clearly undermined by the response. She was forced to withdraw nearly all of the tax cuts this week, including a widely criticized one on wealthy earnings, in a humiliating reversal. She sacked Kwasi Kwarteng, the plan’s creator and close ally, and implemented economic measures supported by the opposition Labour Party.
“You cannot participate in the kind of U-turn that she has engaged in and maintain your political credibility,” said Jon Tonge, a political science professor at the University of Liverpool.
Her compromises did nothing to appease a rising opposition within her own party, which had the potential to destabilize her in the same manner that it destabilized Mr. Johnson.
The Conservatives, often known as Tories, saw their popularity plummet in public opinion surveys following Mr. Johnson’s scandals, and their ratings plummeted to new lows as Ms. Truss fumbled. A Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey released this week found the lowest popularity rating for a prime minister in its history, with 70% disapproving of Ms. Truss, including 67 percent of Conservatives.
According to the study, if a general election were conducted today, 56 percent would vote Labour, while 20 percent would vote Conservative.
The Conservative Party’s dissatisfaction with Ms. Truss grew, and she was surrounded in a real feeling of crisis. It boiled down to a frenzied struggle for her survival on Wednesday — “I’m a fighter and not a quitter,” she claimed while being grilled by members of Parliament.
Then there was much more chaos. Suella Braverman, Britain’s interior minister, resigned after an email hack, but in her resignation letter, she took aim at Ms. Truss, stating she had “concerns about the course of this administration.” A parliamentary vote on fracking was claimed to be marred by bullying, yelling, physical abuse, and tears. More Conservative members of Parliament openly demanded that Ms. Truss resign. Rumors of high-profile resignations circulated. It was difficult to keep up.
“In a nutshell, it’s pure, absolute, awful mayhem,” one iTV newscaster stated. In an interview with the BBC, Conservative politician Charles Walker did not hold back.
On Thursday, she said she had handed her resignation to the king, with a new leadership election planned within a week.
Conservatives hope to choose the next Prime Minister before the end of next week, if not on Monday. (The anticipated front-runners are listed below.)
The party has chosen a simplified method in order to avoid a lengthy campaign. Candidates must get 100 nominations from the 357 Conservative MPs by Monday at 2 p.m. If just one candidate is elected, that person will become Prime Minister.
If two candidates get 100 nominations, lawmakers will vote to determine which one has the most support. If the second-place finisher does not withdraw, the approximately 160,000 party members will vote in an online poll that will close on Friday.
If three candidates meet the threshold, the lawmaker vote on Monday will eliminate one, with the top two finishers moving on to the online vote.
Regardless of who wins, Britain will have its second unelected leader in a row. Ms. Truss will serve as Prime Minister until her replacement takes office.
The next general election, in which the entire public may vote, and the next opportunity for Labour to win control, is not due until at least January 2025. A Conservative leader could call one sooner, but there would be little motivation to do so soon because polls show the party will be wiped out by Labour.
