Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister of the UK, signaling another turn in the most unstable period of British recent history.
The ship has sunk, the plane has smashed into the mountains, the train has derailed from its track. However you want to put it, what is happening in the UK is a disaster of unprecedented scale.
Liz Truss has resigned. Not to brag, but I said only yesterday that she had two more months to beat the record of shortest serving British Prime Minister. She went for the speedrun, her personal best will be difficult to overcome now. But as the UK awaits their fifth Prime Minister in six years, many are left wondering how the Tories will come back from this.
As I write this from my home country of Italy, I want to assure every British reader. We changed 67 governments in 75 years. It’s tough at the start, but you get used to it.
“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.” These were Liz Truss’ words, pronounced in front of 10 Downing Street on Thursday.
Her resignation became increasingly predictable as her cabinet was falling apart in previous weeks. First, it was Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng. He was removed from his post after the awful backlash following the proposed tax cuts for the richest percentile.
Then yesterday it was Interior Minister Suella Braverman’s turn, who resigned after a breach of security involving her personal email.
Who will replace Liz Truss
And now, all the chickens have come home to roost. Liz Truss resigned and left room for a new Conservative Prime Minister. It is unlikely that the country will face a general election, as it is usually the running government who calls for them. Because the Tories’ approval is at an all time low, they probably will not call citizens to vote.
The next general elections (Constitutionally guaranteed) will be in 2025, so the Conservatives have around three years to turn their luck and gain back consent.
A new name should be drawn by next week. The Tories will elect a new leader which, as it is custom in Great Britain, will also become the next Prime Minister. Some point at Jeremy Hunt as a possible replacement of Liz Truss.
Hunt recently became British Finance Minister after the Kwarteng disaster, and his actions so far have kept the Pound afloat. He said the tax cut plan will be “postponed indefinitely” and the British government will re-adjust their energy policy.
In any case, whoever will become the next Prime Minister of the UK will have an unenviable task. At the same time, however, it will be hard to do worse than their predecessor.
