Liz Truss resigns as UK Prime Minister
Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party on Thursday, relenting to intense pressure from her party and the public after a mini-budget she touted plunged the economy into turmoil.
"I recognised, 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 in a statement in front of Number 10 Downing Street.
Truss is the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history.
A leadership election amongst the ruling Conservative Party will start next week and will choose her successor as party leader and prime minister, she said. That contest should be completed within a week, she added.
Truss' premiership was plunged into turmoil after she proposed sweeping unfunded tax cuts that pushed up the government's borrowing costs and caused the pound to nosedive.
Her resignation comes a day after Home Secretary Suella Braverman quit.
The Conservative Party is currently trailing Labour by over 30 points in opinion polls.
The Luxembourg Times has a new mobile app, download here! Get the Luxembourg Times delivered to your inbox twice a day. Sign up for your free newsletters here.
