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WORLD NEWS Friday 21 OctOber 2022
Truss quits, but UK’s political and economic turmoil persist

By JILL LAWLESS cused the Conservatives of
Associated Press presiding over “utter cha-
LONDON (AP) — British os.”
Prime Minister Liz Truss quit “This is doing huge damage
Thursday after a tumultu- to our economy and the
ous and historically brief reputation of our country,”
term marred by economic he said. “We must have a
policies that roiled financial chance at a fresh start. We
markets and a rebellion in need a general election –
her political party that oblit- now.”
erated her authority. Truss’ political unraveling
Truss became the third began after she and her
Conservative prime minister Treasury chief, Kwasi Kwart-
to be toppled in as many eng, unveiled an economic
years, extending the insta- plan with 45 billion pounds
bility that has shaken Britain ($50 billion) in unfunded tax
since it broke off from the cuts.
European Union and leav- That hammered the val-
ing its leadership in limbo as ue of the pound and in-
the country faces a cost- creased the cost of U.K.
of-living crisis and looming government borrowing.
recession. The Bank of England was
“I cannot deliver the man- forced to intervene to pre-
date on which I was elect- vent the crisis from spread-
ed by the Conservative ing to the wider economy
Party,” Truss acknowledged and putting pension funds
in a statement delivered Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss addresses the media in Downing Street in London, Thursday, Oct. at risk.
outside her 10 Downing 20, 2022. Associated Press Truss then fired Kwarteng,
Street office. and his replacement, Jere-
Financial markets breathed causing economic pain Truss resigned. signatures of 100 of the my Hunt, scrapped almost
a sigh of relief, but Truss for people and businesses Newspapers that usually 357 Conservative lawmak- all of Truss’ tax cuts, cut
leaves a divided ruling already struggling from an support the Conservatives ers, meaning a maximum short her energy subsidies
party seeking a leader who economy yet to emerge were vitriolic. An editorial field of three. Lawmakers and abandoned her prom-
can unify its warring fac- from the pain of the pan- in the Daily Mail on Thurs- will knock out one of those, ise of no public spending
tions. Truss, who said she demic. day was headlined: “The and will ask the party’s cuts.
will remain in office until a That financial tumult led wheels have come off the 172,000 members to de- He said the government
replacement is chosen, has to the replacement of Tory clown car.” cide between the two fi- will need to save billions
been prime minister for just Truss’ Treasury chief, mul- Truss’ departure on Thurs- nalists in an online vote. The of pounds and there are
45 days and will almost cer- tiple policy U-turns and a day sparked jubilation for new leader is due to be in “many difficult decisions”
tainly go down as the short- breakdown of discipline in the tabloid Daily Star, which place by Oct. 28. to be made before he sets
est-serving leader in British the governing Conserva- had set up a livestream last Truss’ resignation is the cul- out a medium-term fiscal
history. George Canning tive Party. Truss resigned week featuring a photo of mination of months of sim- plan on Oct. 31.
died in office in 1827 after just a day after vowing to the prime minister beside mering discontent inside Speaking to lawmakers
119 days. stay in power, saying she a head of lettuce to see the Conservative Party, on Wednesday for the first
The Conservative Party was “a fighter and not a which would last longer. whose poll ratings have time since the U-turn, Truss
said it would choose a quitter.” But she couldn’t “This lettuce outlasted Liz plunged. apologized and admitted
successor by the end of hold on any longer after Truss!” it proclaimed Thurs- Johnson’s government she had made mistakes,
next week. Potential con- a senior minister quit her day. came undone after he was but insisted she would not
tenders include: former government amid a bar- While many Britons joined revealed to have held a resign a resolve that was
Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, rage of criticism and a vote the world in laughing at the series of parties in govern- short-lived. Within hours a
who lost to Truss in the last in the House of Commons lettuce joke, Bronwyn Mad- ment buildings at a time senior Cabinet minister,
leadership contest; House Wednesday descended dox, director of internation- when people in Britain were Home Secretary Suella
of Commons leader Penny into chaos and acrimony. al affairs think-tank Cha- barred from mingling with Braverman, quit, blasting
Mordaunt; Defense Secre- “It’s time for the prime min- tham House, said “there is friends and family or even Truss in her resignation let-
tary Ben Wallace; and Boris ister to go,” Conservative no question that the U.K.’s visiting dying relatives. The ter, saying she had “con-
Johnson, the former prime lawmaker Miriam Cates standing in the world has Conservative party spent cerns about the direction
minister ousted in July over said, echoing the senti- been severely battered by the summer picking a re- of this government.”
a series of ethics scandals. ments of many others. this episode and by the re- placement as the econo- For many Conservative
The low-tax, low-regulation The pound rose about 1% volving door of prime min- my worsened amid spiking lawmakers, the final straw
economic policies that Thursday to around $1.13 isters.” energy prices triggered by was a Wednesday evening
got Truss elected by her after Truss’ resignation. She said Truss’ successor Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. vote over fracking for shale
party proved disastrous in Where the Conservative would need to have poli- Whoever succeeds Truss gas that produced chaotic
the real world at a time of Party goes from here is not cies “based on economic will become the country’s scenes in Parliament, with
soaring inflation and weak clear. Its myriad factions stability, but need also to third prime minister this party whips accused of us-
growth. from hard-right Brexiteers to include a resolution of the year. A national election ing heavy-handed tactics

Her Sept. 23 economic plan centrist “One Nation” Tories relationship with Europe; doesn’t have to be called to gain votes.

included a raft of tax cuts are at each other’s throats. much of the upheaval rep- until 2024, but opposition Chris Bryant, a lawmaker
paid for by government “Nobody has a route plan. resents the bitter aftermath parties demanded one be from the opposition Labour
borrowing that investors It’s all sort of hand-to-hand of Brexit.” held now, saying the gov- Party, said he “saw mem-
worried Britain couldn’t af- fighting on a day-to-day The Conservative party ernment lacks democratic bers being physically man-
ford. It pummeled the val- basis,” Conservative law- said nominations for a new legitimacy. handled ... and being bul-
ue of the pound and drove maker Simon Hoare told leader will close on Mon- Opposition Labour Party lied.” Conservative officials
up the cost of mortgages, the BBC on Thursday before day. Candidates need the leader Keir Starmer ac- denied this.q