U.K. Prime Minister

2022 - 10 - 20

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss announces resignation after six weeks ... (The Washington Post)

The Conservative Party revolt against Liz Truss's brief tenure as prime minister comes just a few months after it deposed its previous leader Boris Johnson.

“The British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos.” YouGov, the pollster, said that she was the most unpopular prime minister the organization has ever tracked. But her plans, which included billions of unfunded tax cuts, spooked the markets and sent the pound plunging. I spoke to the king and notified him that I was resigning,” she said in front of her residence at Downing Street. The previous record-holder for shortest-serving prime minister was George Canning, who lasted 119 days. Truss has only been in office for 44 days.

UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after failed budget and market ... (CNBC)

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned following a failed tax-cutting budget that rocked financial markets and which led to a revolt within her own ...

Sunak is now one of the [favorites to replace Truss](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/20/who-could-replace-uk-pm-liz-truss-sunak-mourdant-johnson-hunt.html), along with Hunt, another leadership contender Penny Mordaunt, Defense Minister Ben Wallace and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. bond markets which balked at the debt-funded tax cuts he put forward. Most of the policies [expected budget update](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/17/uks-new-finance-minister-sets-out-.html) on Oct. It remains at the level it was on Sept. [pound](/quotes/GBP=/) was up 0.5% on the day against the [dollar](/quotes/.DXY/) an hour after the announcement, trading at $1.1273, briefly touching a session high. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to announce that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party." Opposition parties Labour, the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats called for an immediate general election on Thursday afternoon. The number who have written letters to Brady expressing no confidence in the prime minister was reported to be over 100 by Thursday. The party is now due to complete a leadership election within the next week, faster than the usual two-month period. 23, Truss' finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced a so-called "mini-budget" which began a turbulent period for U.K. The yields on 30-year, 10-year and five-year gilts (U.K.

Liz Truss resigns after six weeks as UK prime minister (CNA)

A leadership election will be completed within the next week to replace Liz Truss, who is the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.

The claim of illiteracy appears to refer to that trip, when Truss was British foreign minister. [New finance minister Hunt](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/uk-budget-finance-minister-reverses-tax-plan-rein-energy-subsidy-3011256) is now racing to find tens of billions of pounds of spending cuts to try to reassure investors and rebuild Britain's fiscal reputation as the economy heads into recession and with inflation at a 40-year high. Party members and Conservative lawmakers are expected to be given a say in the vote. Approval ratings for her and her Conservative Party collapsed. Advertisement [welcomed Truss' departure](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/russia-uk-disgrace-liz-truss-resigns-prime-minister-3017856), saying she was a disgrace of a leader who would be remembered for her "catastrophic illiteracy". During her campaign to be elected leader of the Conservative Party, and thus prime minister, Truss famously said that "the jury is out" on whether the French leader was a friend or foe of Britain. "I want to say that France, as a nation and people who are friends of the British people, wishes them above all stability," he said, stressing the context of the war in Ukraine and energy price crisis. [Rishi Sunak](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/race-become-uk-pm-down-final-two-rishi-sunak-and-liz-truss-2824296) and [Penny Mordaunt](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/british-prime-minister-contenders-set-clash-second-tv-debate-2816086), a former defence minister. Truss, who had said on Wednesday she was a "fighter and not a quitter", told the mass of journalists gathered in Downing Street that she realised she could no longer deliver on the promises that won her the "I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party," said Truss, who was supported only by her husband with her aides and loyal ministers noticeably absent. [Liz Truss](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/british-pm-liz-truss-leadership-sack-kwasi-tax-cuts-3010016) said on Thursday (Oct 20) she was resigning as British prime minister [just six weeks after she was appointed](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/liz-truss-appointed-british-pm-queen-elizabeth-ii-2923356), brought down by an [economic programme](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/uks-truss-sorry-mistakes-im-sticking-around-3012311) that sent shockwaves through the market and divided her Conservative Party.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss' Executive Onboarding Failure (Forbes)

Avoid the traps of poor fit, poor delivery and poor adjustment down the road by converging before trying to evolve.

The point is that every organization drives on different sides of the road in different ways. And you have to avoid the landmines along the way. You cross the border and see a sign that says “Welcome to Kenya.” What must you do next? In Kenya they drive on the left. In Ethiopia they drive on the right. You can’t lead anyone until you have earned the right to lead. This gives the team confidence in itself and in their new leader. So, the “mandate” she references was either the 0.1% of the population that voted for her. The lesson for all is to converge before evolving. The Conservative members of parliament whittle down the range of possible candidates to a final two and then put those up for a full party vote. They fail because of poor fit, poor delivery or poor adjustment to changes down the road. 0.1% in total.) or the 14% of Conservative members of parliament that initially preferred her.

The U.K. will have 5 prime ministers in just 6 years. What's gone ... (NPR)

Truss is the fourth prime minister to resign since the Brexit vote of 2016. That's the fastest turnover in a century. No. 10 Downing Street has effectively ...

[Patrick Dunleavy](https://www.lse.ac.uk/government/people/emeritus-academic-staff/patrick-dunleavy), emeritus professor of political science and public policy at the London School of Economics, says flaws in the U.K.'s system of government and the way the Conservative Party chooses its leaders have also contributed to the ongoing turmoil. "It's a fantasy that many Brits are willing to believe, that because of our supposedly glorious past, we're also entitled to an equally glorious present or future," says Bale, whose new book, The Conservative Party After Brexit, comes out in March. Truss replaced Johnson in September, promising to kick-start the economy with tax cuts for corporations and the rich without reducing public spending. Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University in London, says one reason Tory prime ministers such as Johnson and Truss have flamed out is because they promised the public things they can't deliver. In another major miscalculation, she called a snap election in 2017, only to lose her party's control of the House of Commons. His government's slow response to COVID led to more than 200,000 deaths — the highest toll in Europe — and drew heavy criticism. The party then turned to Johnson, the charismatic if deeply flawed showman who had a track record of winning elections. While Johnson's government ruled out social gatherings to limit the spread of Covid, government staff held parties. Cameron hoped the vote in 2016 would end a civil war inside his own Conservative Party on Britain's relationship with Europe and keep the party in power. Johnson led the party to a landslide victory in 2019. That's the fastest turnover in a century. What's the matter with Britain?

U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns after 45 days (Axios)

What she's saying: Truss said she recognized that she could not "deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party," and that the election to ...

- No election is due for two years, but many Conservatives are already expecting to lose power for the first time since 2010, possibly in a landslide. [disastrous weeks in office](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/19/truss-absolute-disgrace-conservatives-resign), during which her tax plan panicked the markets and her own party turned on her. People think she's not up to the job," says James Johnson, whose firm JL Partners has been conducting focus groups on Truss. In fact, she announced the tax cuts alongside massively expensive energy subsidies. - "There was anger toward Boris Johnson. - That's a remarkably short timetable for Conservative members of Parliament to pick their fifth prime minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum left the party deeply divided. That episode seemed to sum up Truss' short tenure. - "This whole affair is inexcusable. It's unclear if Johnson would be able to get enough parliamentary colleagues to support him. [finished second to Truss](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/05/liz-truss-wins-uk-next-prime-minister)in the leadership race but correctly warned of the economic dangers of her tax cut plans. [Times](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/liz-truss-latest-news-resign-tory-mp-westminster-follow-live-gf7g23fxm)of London and Daily [Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/10/20/liz-truss-news-resign-pm-conservative-party-general-election/)both report that Truss' predecessor, Boris Johnson, is expected to throw his hat in the ring just three months after [resigning over a series of scandals](https://www.axios.com/2022/07/07/why-boris-johnson-resigned-prime-minister). She'll be the [shortest-serving prime minister in history](https://www.axios.com/2022/10/20/shortest-prime-ministers-term-uk).