Liz Truss Resigns as Prime Minister

Liz Truss resigned as UK prime minister (PM) lasting only 44 days. 

She succeeded Boris Johnson as prime minister on 6 September 2022 after defeating Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party leadership contest and meeting the Queen at Balmoral.

Liz Truss is the shortest-serving prime minister in the UK's history.

She will remain as PM until her successor has been chosen.

Commons leader and former Tory party leadership contender Penny Mordaunt says she will "keep calm and carry on" and encourages others to do the same.

Liz Truss' time in office has been dominated by financial market chaos prompted by the mini-budget that was announced by former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng last month.

Several Tory MPs had publicly called for her resignation, but many others had privately suggested her time was up.

New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the government would be cutting the energy price guarantee back to six months from the two years previously promised and abandoning the planned 1p reduction to the basic rate of income tax.

The announcement was widely seen as the complete upheaval of Ms Truss's economic programme, central to her leadership bid.

Liz Truss is entitled to claim up to £115,000 per year from the taxpayer for the rest of her life once she leaves office.

Rishi Sunak is the frontrunner to succeed Liz Truss.

Sir Keir Starmer called for an immediate general election.

The Labour leader says: "The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern.

"After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos."