UK Prime Minister Liz Truss Resigns After SIX Weeks

[ZariusTwo]

Liz Truss has confirmed she is resigning as prime minister after 45 days in office, becoming the shortest serving PM in UK history.

Truss has faced calls to quit over the disastrous fallout from her mini-budget, with pressure ramping up ever since following a series of screeching U-turns that saw party unity disintegrate.

In a brief statement outside Downing Street, Truss said: "I recognise… given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

She confirmed she had met with the King in order to inform him that she was stepping down.

On Wednesday, Truss insisted she was a “fighter, not a quitter”, but the pressure from her own MPs proved to be too much.
https://news.yahoo.com/liz-truss-resigns-prime-minister-123645021.html

[ChosenOne]

What now? Elections?

[ZariusTwo]

What now? Elections?

That's what the Labour party want, a snap general election, the mood of the nation is the Britain is ungovernable under the tories.

In the meantime, there will be an internal leadership ballot that will concluded next week

[MikeandRaph87]

What exactly is going on in Britain? I just saw it in the headlines. Cost of living is going up, so is everywhere in the world. It doesn't seem to be any scandal with her personally. Any U.K. residents on here for insight? It seems like ever since Brexit there has been instability in the country.

[ZariusTwo]

One of the front runners for the job of PM is the man we kicked out of power six weeks ago, Boris Johnson!

https://www.channel4.com/news/liz-truss-resigns-will-boris-johnson-be-next-pm

[Chris]

What exactly is going on in Britain? I just saw it in the headlines. Cost of living is going up, so is everywhere in the world. It doesn't seem to be any scandal with her personally. Any U.K. residents on here for insight? It seems like ever since Brexit there has been instability in the country.

Basically her first major act as PM was a mini budget which froze energy bills (so far so good) but rather than pay for with a windfall tax on excess profits (which was called for by opposition parties and actually supported by some energy companies but ruled out by Truss) she and her chancellor didn't say how it would be funded. Then they added unfunded tax cuts on top of that (including one targeted specifically at the highest earners in the country).

The markets reacted badly, the pound crashed, any help the energy bill freeze would give was wiped out by the increase in interest rates, especially on mortgages. UK cost of borrowing spiked making those unfunded tax cuts (aka borrowing) cost even more. The Bank of England stepped in and started buying up UK gilts to stop pension funds from being wiped out.

Essentially her first act/budget crashed the economy. The chancellor was fired and they abandoned pretty much everything in the mini budget but the damage was done both to the economy and to her politically.

So now we're looking for our third PM in less than 2 months!

Personally I think they need to call an election, take the loss, and sort out who they want to lead them and what they want to stand for post-Brexit in opposition. They clearly can't do that whilst in power.

[Sumac]

Return of the Johnson: Electric Boogaloo?

[ZariusTwo]

Return of the Johnson: Electric Boogaloo?

He pulled out of contention last night

[ZariusTwo]

Only one MP got 100 backing votes, therefore our new Prime Minster is Rishi Sunak

[MikeandRaph87]

Only one MP got 100 backing votes, therefore our new Prime Minster is Rishi Sunak

I saw it at work this morning and of course there is one question that springs to mind. Did he get the position based on his non-majority as in being a non-white and non-Christian Brit?

[ZariusTwo]

I saw it at work this morning and of course there is one question that springs to mind. Did he get the position based on his non-majority as in being a non-white and non-Christian Brit?

I'm not even dignifying such racist s*it with an answer. People are People. End of.

[Leo656]

That bit was kinda sus coming from a schoolteacher, I gotta say.

I know we all "keep it loose" around these parts, but yeah, considering the source I wasn't really ready for that.

Question, Zar: Can *I* still be racially insensitive considering how I'm, like, a well-known dick?

[frank_one]

I'm not even dignifying such racist s*it with an answer. People are People. End of.People are not made of magic and dreams: everyone has an history and a race.

[Leo656]

Considering the dramatic and decades-long racial tension over there between native Brits and the Indian/Pakistani/misc. immigrants... it's a bit of an inflammatory comment, let's not sugarcoat it.

[Andrew NDB]

I really don't have an opinion of this, largely because I realize I don't even have any idea if Brexit even actually finalized. For starters.

[Mayhem]

I really don't have an opinion of this, largely because I realize I don't even have any idea if Brexit even actually finalized. For starters.
Considering they still haven't resolved the border between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and Ireland (still in Europe) in terms of trade and taxes, then no, Brexit isn't finalised yet.

[Mayhem]

I saw it at work this morning and of course there is one question that springs to mind. Did he get the position based on his non-majority as in being a non-white and non-Christian Brit?
No, he got it because he was the only one who put himself forward with enough backing. He was in the final two previously, and lost to Liz Truss. So we get to see what he would have done, but two months on, and with the economy and everything in a worse situation than then.

The requirement was at least 100 MPs support. There's "only" 359 Conservative MPs so only a maximum of three people could make it to the voting process anyhow. Johnson pulled out (first time for everything given the number of kids he has), and Mordaunt couldn't get 100, and they were the only other serious candidates trying to be elected to the position. So Sunak technically won by default, but that's not his fault of course.

[Mayhem]

Considering the dramatic and decades-long racial tension over there between native Brits and the Indian/Pakistani/misc. immigrants... it's a bit of an inflammatory comment, let's not sugarcoat it.
As someone British my entire life, this is a disingenuous comment. Racism exists, sure. It's better in general than it was decades past, and way better than how matters are in the US for example. What the aspect that is glossed over more is that the worst racial tensions are between minorities and other minotiries. Indian and Pakistani, and Caribbean and anyone southern Asian can be horrendous. The worst is often non-white towards other non-white.

[MikeandRaph87]

No, he got it because he was the only one who put himself forward with enough backing. He was in the final two previously, and lost to Liz Truss. So we get to see what he would have done, but two months on, and with the economy and everything in a worse situation than then.

The requirement was at least 100 MPs support. There's "only" 359 Conservative MPs so only a maximum of three people could make it to the voting process anyhow. Johnson pulled out (first time for everything given the number of kids he has), and Mordaunt couldn't get 100, and they were the only other serious candidates trying to be elected to the position. So Sunak technically won by default, but that's not his fault of course.


Ah,thanks. This is what I was looking for. It's just in the era we are in the primary requirement is checking a diversity box above all else that it takes away from someone who is qualified no matter who they are.