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Live: Tories to choose next prime minister next week as Liz Truss resigns

A new prime minister will be chosen next week after Liz Truss announced her resignation.

After insisting less than 24 hours earlier she is a “fighter, not a quitter”, the Conservative party leader stood at a podium outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday to say her brief time in the top job will come to an end.

There are now growing calls for an early general election.

4.14pm

This live blog has now ended.

4.11pm

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will not stand for the leadership.

An ally of the Cabinet minister said he was “by far the best person to remain in the Foreign Office”.

4.10pm

ITV’s political editor Robert Peston has tweeted: “Inevitably after Truss’s resignation, all the talk is of @BorisJohnson running again and how popular he is with Tory members.

“But this is to forget that he is still to be in effect tried by the Commons privileges committee for allegedly lying wilfully to MPs. If PM again, this…”

In a follow-up tweet, he continued: “would be a humiliating process in the gaze of pretty much the whole world, given his prominence.

“Does he really want that? Would it be good for his party? As a backbencher, the process would inevitably attract less attention and would be less significant.”

4.06pm

3.55pm

3.53pm

Former prime minister Theresa May said Tory MPs must be prepared to compromise to ensure there is a “sensible, competent government”.

She said: “The Prime Minister is right to provide a roadmap for an orderly transition.

Budget 2018
Liz Truss (left), then-chancellor Philip Hammond, and Theresa May (PA)

“MPs must now be prepared to compromise.

“It is our duty to provide sensible, competent government at this critical moment for our country.”

3.52pm

Ireland’s deputy premier Leo Varadkar wrote in a tweet: “Liz Truss has made a difficult decision with dignity in very trying circumstances. I wish her the best for the future”

3.48pm

Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith called for Boris Johnson to stand to become the next Tory leader.

Mr Clarke-Smith said he thought Mr Johnson would be “potentially” interested.

“We need someone who can come in, we need somebody who can bring people together, somebody who actually has got that mandate. So a mandate from people in the last general election, a mandate from party members and somebody actually who can get this party going again, get us winning elections again,” he told Sky News.

“The only person that I think that ticks all those boxes is Boris Johnson.”

3.46pm

Journalist and radio presenter Stig Abell has tweeted: “The thing is that, in the minds of many Tories, the last six weeks have proved not just that Truss was a disaster but they were wrong to get rid of Johnson in the first place.

“Ironically, he salvaged his reputation by being forced out for poor behaviour.”

3.41pm

Deputy Liberal Democrat leader Daisy Cooper said Boris Johnson should be barred from competing in the Tory leadership contest.

“The fact that Conservative MPs are even considering putting Boris Johnson back in Number 10 shows how out of touch they really are,” she said.

Coronavirus – Mon Nov 29, 2021
Daisy Cooper (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA)

“They think there’s one rule for them and another for everyone else.

“Boris Johnson was forced to resign in disgrace after countless lies, scandals and failures. He shattered public trust in the government and plunged the UK into a political crisis. He must never be allowed near Downing Street again.

“The future of our country should be in the hands of voters, not the Conservative MPs who have caused all this chaos.”

Liz Truss becomes PM
Then-outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson speaking outside 10 Downing Street (PA)

3.37pm

Justin Tomlinson said it was “wishful thinking” to imagine that Boris Johnson could return as prime minister.

The Tory MP, who described himself as someone who had strongly supported the former prime minister in the past, told Sky News: “I just think it’s too soon. I was there supporting him to the very end but he did lose the confidence of the majority of our colleagues.

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(PA Graphics)

“I thought that was wrong. But you have to respect that.

“I don’t think a sufficient enough time has probably passed for the party to then unite behind him and for me this now is about us, frankly, being grown up, being pragmatic and putting the country first.”

3.33pm

No. 10 has released a video of Ms Truss’s statement in full.

She said: “I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability.

“Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.

“Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent.

“And our country had been held back for too long by low economic growth.

Liz Truss resignation
Liz Truss (PA)

“I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this.

“We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance.

“And we set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy – that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.

“I recognise though, 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.

“This morning I met the Chair of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady.

Liz Truss resignation
Liz Truss, with her husband Hugh O’Leary, walks back into 10 Downing Street (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

“We have agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week.

“This will ensure we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.

“I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.

“Thank you.”

3.29pm

US president Joe Biden said in a statement: “The United States and the United Kingdom are strong Allies and enduring friends — and that fact will never change.

“I thank Prime Minister Liz Truss for her partnership on a range of issues including holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine.

Liz Truss resignation
Prime Minister Liz Truss with US President Joe Biden (PA)

“We will continue our close cooperation with the U.K. government as we work together to meet the global challenges our nations face.”

3.26pm

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(PA Graphics)

3.25pm

MP Bob Seely, who backed Penny Mordaunt in the summer’s Conservative Party leadership contest, said he hoped she would run for leader.

Mr Seely also said he predicted “quite a high threshold” for MPs to stand for leader, while also indicating that he did not want to “go back” to the time when Boris Johnson was leader.

“Good luck to Boris. I don’t want to go back to a few months ago where we were so whoever is going to get through I think there’s going to be quite a high threshold,” he told Sky News.

Conservative Party Conference 2022
Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt (PA)

“And I will see personally who those candidates are when they get the numbers.”

Backing Ms Mordaunt, Mr Seely said: “I think she has a great set of qualities. She has lots of ministerial experience. I think she comes across very well. And I think she resonates with people.

“Right now when we are facing a couple of international crises, both in energy, but also in the Ukraine war, having somebody with stature, with government experience, who can resonate with people, I think is really important.”

3.22pm

Another former Labour leader, this time Ed Miliband, has called for a general election, joining Jeremy Corbyn and current leader Sir Keir Starmer.

He wrote on Twitter: “The Conservative Party is unfit to govern. 12 years of failure, 5 Prime Ministers, and working people paying the price. We need a General Election now.”

3.14pm

Government minister Sir James Duddridge said it was time for a comeback by Boris Johnson.

Tweeting with the hashtag #bringbackboris, he said: “I hope you enjoyed your holiday boss. Time to come back. Few issues at the office that need addressing.”

Sir James had served as a parliamentary private secretary to Mr Johnson when he was in No 10.

3.13pm

Penny Mordaunt has insisted she will “keep calm and carry on” as she was teased about her leadership ambitions following Liz Truss’s resignation.

3.12pm

Former Irish premier Bertie Ahern has criticised Liz Truss, who has resigned as the UK’s Prime Minister, describing her stance on the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations as unhelpful.

Mr Ahern said he hopes whoever becomes the next prime minister will take a “proactive” approach to the talks with the EU.

The former Fianna Fail leader, one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, told an Irish parliamentary committee that the Prime Minister had changed on his way through the door of the committee.

“Whoever the British Prime Minister is, hopefully they will take a bit of a proactive position,” Mr Ahern said.

Brexit
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern (PA)

“Quite frankly, I didn’t think it was helpful what the British Prime Minister of yesterday said, so maybe whoever is there tomorrow might say something different.

“What she said yesterday was that even if there was negotiations, that what was in the legislation would be the bottom line.

“Now, I never tried negotiations that declared the bottom line before I went into the negotiation, so that’s clearly not going to solve anything.”

3.10pm

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill called on political parties in Northern Ireland to unite to “stand up to the Tories”, following the resignation of Liz Truss.

She tweeted: “The chaos & disastrous policies of the Tories has heaped misery onto workers & families.

“Liz Truss joins the long line of British Prime Ministers who have failed people

“We need all parties in the North to work together, stand up to the Tories & support people in a new Executive.”

3.04pm

Liz Truss will still have to meet the King in person to formally tender her resignation, as is tradition.

This will take place immediately before the monarch asks her successor, also in person, to form a government.

Charles as sovereign plays an important constitutional role in the appointment of a new prime minister.

The Royal Encyclopedia states that the appointment of a prime minister is “one of the few remaining personal prerogatives of the sovereign”.

It says that, in the normal course of events, the monarch does not act on advice nor need to consult anyone before calling upon the leader with an overall majority of seats in the House of Commons to form a government.

But the monarch is guided by constitutional conventions and can seek advice from the outgoing prime minister, any other political leader, senior privy counsellors, or whomever they please within the limits of prudence and caution.

The King spoke to Liz Truss on the phone, when she informed him she was resigning, the same day as holding the first credentials presentations of his reign at Buckingham Palace.

King Charles receives Liz Truss
King Charles receives Liz Truss (PA)

Credentials presentations are audiences with newly appointed ambassadors or high commissioners who hand over their letters of credence or commission to the monarch.

Charles welcomed the Ukrainian ambassador Vadym Prystaiko and the High Commissioner for Pakistan Moazzam Ahmad Khan on Thursday.

He also later held an audience with the president of the Togolese Republic, Faure Gnassingbe.

3pm

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey told the PA news agency: “Liz Truss trashed our economy and before her Boris Johnson failed our country.

“The Conservatives have shown time and time again that they are not fit to govern our great country.

“We don’t need another Conservative prime minister lurching from crisis to crisis, letting the British people down, increasing their mortgages, not tackling the economic problems.

“The only way we are going to sort this out is if the Conservative MPs for once do their patriotic duty and work with the opposition to get the general election our country needs to let the British people have their say.”

2.47pm

Sir Keir Starmer said: “The risk at the moment is continuing with this chaos, not having a stable Labour government.

“So that’s why there needs to be a general election.

“We can’t just allow the Tory party to keep putting up the next candidate in the middle of this chaos.

“There is a choice, there’s a Labour Party that’s capable of stabilising the economy, has a clear plan and the public are entitled to choose between that stable Labour government and this utter chaos.

“We are ready to form a government, to stabilise the economy and implement a real plan for growth, for living standards, to help people through a cost-of-living crisis.

“And that’s the choice now, a stable Labour government or this utter chaos from the Conservatives.”

2.44pm

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle said the Prime Minister’s resignation spells more “uncertainty” for Northern Ireland.

The Government has been insisting that another Assembly election will be called in a matter of days, if powersharing is not restored.

Mr Kyle tweeted: “Northern Ireland has suffered enough from Tory neglect.

“At this critical time, with assembly elections looming and crucial negotiations ongoing, the Tories plunge Northern Ireland into yet more uncertainty.”

He said his party “stands ready to be the honest broker Northern Ireland needs”.

2.38pm

Professor Richard Toye, from the University of Exeter, said: “Liz Truss had a difficult hand and played it appallingly, resulting in her becoming the shortest serving British prime minister in history.

“Her tenure deserves to be remembered as more than the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question, however, because it symbolised the logical outcome of a broader crisis that for years has gripped the Conservative Party and the UK political system more generally.

“Liz Truss may not be remembered as the person who definitively killed the Tories as a political force.

“That honour will perhaps fall to her successor.”

2.37pm

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, said: “This has been a complete and utter failure of government, with everyone in this country now having to pay the price.

“The complete lack of leadership is preventing decisions and actions from being taken to deal with the many challenges we are facing and help people over what is going to be a very difficult winter.

Labour Party Conference 2022
First minister of Wales Mark Drakeford (PA)

“Unfortunately, the deep and intractable divisions within the Government means that any successor put forward will face the same set of challenges.

“A general election is now the only way to end this paralysis.”

2.36pm

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Paddick accused the Government of treating the public with “contempt”.

He said: “Now two prime ministers have resigned, how can this Government continue to treat the electorate with contempt by refusing to call a general election?

“When will Conservative MPs do their patriotic duty and put country before party and trigger a general election?”

2.36pm

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory 1922 Committee, was vague about whether one or two candidates would be likely to run for the Conservative Party leadership.

He told reporters: “The party rules say there will be two candidates unless there is only one candidate.”

Sir Graham Brady makes a statement outside the Houses of Parliament
Sir Graham Brady makes a statement outside the Houses of Parliament (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Asked what happens if one candidate drops out, Sir Graham said: “If there is only one candidate, there is only one candidate.”

Pressed on whose idea it was to truncate the process into one week, he said: “I think it’s a matter on which there is a pretty broad consensus”.

Sir Graham also said: “It certainly is not the circumstances I would wish to see.”

2.34pm

Conservative former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith told the PA news agency “it’s time to get real” when asked about Liz Truss’s resignation.

2.34pm

Former Cabinet minister Michael Gove will not stand for the Tory leadership, allies said.

Conservative Party Conference 2022
Michael Gove (PA)

2.32pm

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “What a mess, this is not just a soap opera at the top of the Tory party, it’s doing huge damage to our economy and to the reputation of our country.

“The public are paying with higher prices, with higher mortgages, so we can’t have a revolving door of chaos.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

“We can’t have another experiment at the top of the Tory party.

“There is an alternative and that’s a stable Labour government and the public are entitled to have their say and that’s why there should be a general election.”

2.29pm

Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords, Lady Smith of Basildon, weighed in on the “utter shambles” of the Government chaos, calling for a general election.

She told the upper house: “Crisis after crisis just heaped on this Government, yet who is paying the price for that?

“It’s the people of this country, who are seeing their prices on food go up, they’re seeing increased bills on fuel, they don’t know what’s happened to their mortgage payments.

“And the Government thinks the answer to all this is to shuffle the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Liz Truss making a statement outside 10 Downing Street
Liz Truss making a statement outside 10 Downing Street (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

“This is not a game of pass the parcel, where the office of prime minister is in the personal gift of the Conservative Party, who can just keep passing it on when it’s Buggins’ turn. That’s not how it works.”

She said the Government now has “no mandate to govern” and that the next prime minister needs the consent of the British people through a general election.