Liz Truss (47) is the British Prime Minister with the shortest term in history. She was in office for only 44 days. She wants to remain as prime minister until a successor is found. With their failure, the domestic political crisis in the UK has reached its lowest point for the time being. There is also great chaos within the – still – ruling Conservative Party.
What happened?
The pressure on Liz Truss was too great. The prime minister, who has only been in office since September 6, had tried to push through a radical tax reform. When internal party criticism mounted and Truss realized she would barely get the package through parliament, she withdrew the planned tax cut for top earners and fired Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng (47). Interior Minister Suella Braverman (42) announced her resignation on Wednesday.
The tax breaks were originally supposed to be around £45 billion (equivalent to nearly £50 billion). £32 billion of that has been scrapped. The expensive energy price cap, which is intended to subsidize private household spending, remained on the agenda.
Finally, after a few weeks, Truss lost authority and other political projects also failed. As a result: dismissal!
What’s on the schedule now?
Truss had prevailed over the summer in a weeklong election process. The conservative group had chosen two candidates: in addition to Truss, ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak (42). The party base had the final say in a second round – and decided in favor of Truss. A similar process is now planned, as announced by the head of the responsible political group committee. However, the decision should be made much sooner – within a week. The nominees should be determined on Monday, then the faction will vote until two candidates remain – and no later than Friday, party members will determine the winner in an online round.
Who are the favourites?
Little has changed in the starting position since the summer. Shortly after Truss’ resignation, the names of ex-Treasury Secretary Sunak and 49-year-old Penny Mordaunt, currently Secretary of State for Parliament, were named. They came in second and third behind Truss in the internal party vote. They may have some sort of tripartite alliance with incumbent Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt, 55, who was also a candidate in the summer but would have ruled out an application for Downing Street. In this scenario, Sunak would become the new Prime Minister and Mordaunt would move to the State Department. Hunt would remain Secretary of the Treasury.
Why could that be a problem?
Such a solution is seen as a red rag for the right-wing conservative part of the Conservative Party. This wing has been gaining weight lately and eventually lifted Truss into Downing Street. It is therefore not excluded that this site presents its own candidate. One possible candidate is Suella Braverman, who was fired as Secretary of the Interior by Truss on Wednesday. The hardliner was shocked in recent days that Truss jettisoned its economic course after criticism and also caused a stir with right-wing populist statements about migration policy.
And who is still in the running?
There is mounting evidence that Truss’ predecessor could try to become her successor. As the Times and Telegraph newspapers unanimously reported, Boris Johnson (58) is considering a candidacy. When he resigned in early July, he made it clear that he was not retiring voluntarily. Several MPs have already voted in favor of Johnson, although a parliamentary investigation into the “Partygate” affair is still pending against him. At the betting provider Ladbrokes, a Johnson return is highly prized, and it is hugely popular with the party base. On the other hand, Tory MPs also warn against the ex-Prime Minister, who is viewed extremely critically by voters. Many thought he was a liar, pollster James Johnson emphasized — unrelated.
Why are there probably no early elections?
Calls for early elections are getting louder, as opposition parties have been demanding since Johnson’s end. Actually, the next regular parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2024, the cut-off date is January 2025. But given the weeks of turbulence and the fact that less than 0.3 percent of all eligible voters are expected to decide again for the most important political office,, The political pressure is now enormous. But conservatives want to avoid new elections at all costs, says political scientist Mark Garnett (59). Because current polls predict a landslide victory for the opposition Labor party. Numerous Tory MPs are likely to lose their mandates in this case. (SDA/ymh)