Truss Resigns

In our last story on British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ stormy early days in office, we wondered how long before she gets to still waters. She has found the still waters, but outside No. 10 Downing street.

What do you mean?
The embattled PM succumbed to the raging storm that has made her time in the office far from pleasant, as she announced her resignation last Thursday, after only 45 days as Britain’s leader. In her statement, Truss said she recognized 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 noted her achievements, despite the turbulence that cut short her reign. “We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance. We have continued to stand with Ukraine and to protect our own security”, she said in a tweet.

Who is replacing her?
She will remain in office until her successor as Tori’s leader and PM is confirmed on 28 October. Candidates interested in being Prime Minister must secure at least 100 nominations from Tory MPs to be considered for the job. Nominations for the next Conservative Party leader have begun and will close at 2 pm on Monday. Surprisingly, Truss’predecessor, Boris Johnson is considering running again to be PM, and rightwing Conservative MPs and party donors are already indicating support for his bid.

Can he run?
Yes, he can. The former PM, who resigned in July after a series of scandals led to questions over his reputation, was due to return from the Caribbean, where he has been vacationing with his family. One of his allies, according to the Guardian, said that Johnson believed staging a comeback was in the “national interest”. Another person said the Tory heavyweight felt his leadership was unfairly “cut off before its time” and that he still had a lot to accomplish at No 10. It remains to be seen whether or not Johnson would be able to secure the 100 MP nominations required to reach the ballot.

The runner-up to Truss in the last Tori election, Rishi Sunak, is tipped as the favorite to replace her. With candidates needing 100 nominations, there might be a maximum of three contenders. There’s even a likelihood of there being only two or even one candidates. However, there will be two votes if there are three candidates. The contender with the lowest number of supporters will be eliminated first. A second, “indicative” vote will follow. Party members will then be able to determine which of the final two candidates is the MPs’ favourite.