Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss reacts as she delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London on October 20, 2022 to announce her resignation. - British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation on after just six weeks in office that looked like a descent into hell, triggering a new internal election within the Conservative Party. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP)
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced that an election for her successor will take place by the end of next week, after she issued her resignation on Thursday afternoon.
Truss moved into 10 Downing Street less than two months ago on 6 September 2022, after former PM Boris Johnson’s tenure ended under a cloud.
Despite her short stay, Truss faced a multitude of setbacks, which led to UK tabloid The Daily Star creating a live YouTube stream of a wet lettuce on 14 October 2022, and bookies taking bets on which would have to be thrown out first, the lettuce or the PM?
It now appears the lettuce has outlasted Truss, as she announced her resignation of Thursday, while the lettuce appears not to have gone completely rotten just yet. Truss resigned despite having proclaimed just a day earlier that she is no quitter.
“I recognise that 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,” Truss said on Thursday.
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A leadership election for MPs to select her successor will be “completed within the next week”, she added.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer demanded an immediate general election.
“The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people. We need a general election – now,” the opposition leader said in a statement.
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