Liz Truss resigns as PM after just 45 days in Downing Street
Boris Johnson is reportedly asking Rishi Sunak to unite in a bid for the Tory leadership, as the former prime minister and chancellor are tipped to be heading for a showdown in the race to replace Liz Truss.
The Telegraph that Mr Johnson was was reaching out to Mr Sunak to “get back together” as the ex-leader believes he is the candidate with the best chance of winning another election for the Conservatives.
Mr Sunak, who was in the final two against Ms Truss in the last leadership election, emerged as the bookies’ favourite, with more than 20 Tory MPs saying they would support him.
A maximum of three candidates will be able to stand in the leadership contest after party chiefs decided hopefuls needed the support of 100 colleagues to get on the ballot. MPs will vote on the final two candidates before Tory members are given the final say, the 1922 chair said.
Ms Truss announced she would step down earlier today after only 44 days in Downing Street, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in history.
Liz Truss can claim £115,000 every year from taxpayer despite serving for just six weeks
Liz Truss will be able to claim up to £115,000 from the taxpayer per annum despite having the shortest tenure of any British prime minister in history (Emily Atkinson writes).
The outgoing Conservative leader can claim the money from the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), which was introduced to assist former prime ministers still active in public life. According to government guidance, payments are made only “to meet the actual cost of continuing to fulfil public duties.”
The allowance was arranged in the wake of the resignation of Margaret Thatcher in 1990, and announced by her predecessor, John Major, in March the following year.
Liz Truss can claim £115,000 every year from taxpayer despite six week tenure
Truss survived just 45 days in No 10, consigning herself to the history books as the country’s shortest serving prime minister
Election Now: The Independent petition calling for general election surpasses 200,000 signatures
The Independent’s petition calling for a general election to be held in the UK following recent political furore has surpassed 200,000 signatures (Emily Atkinson writes).
As of 6.25pm on Thursday, after Liz Truss quit as prime minister following just 45 days in office, the petition had been signed by more than 200,400 people – up by some 50,000 signatures in just one hour.
You can sign the petition here.
Tories fear party split if Boris Johnson returns following dramatic Liz Truss resignation
Conservative MPs have warned that the party could split if Boris Johnson returns as leader following the dramatic resignation of Liz Truss after just 45 days as prime minister (Andrew Woodcock writes).
After six weeks of turmoil culminating in her sacking her chancellor and home secretary within days of one another, Ms Truss conceded that she could not “deliver the mandate” on which she was elected.
She will hand over to a new prime minister by 28 October – next Friday – with her departure brought forward to Monday if Tory MPs are able to unite behind a single candidate for leader and avoid the need for a ballot of party members.
Close allies of former chancellor Rishi Sunak told The Independent that he will be on the ballot paper, after missing out to Ms Truss in a vote of around 170,000 members over the summer.
Tories fear party split if Boris Johnson returns after dramatic Liz Truss resignation
Breakneck leadership race to produce new PM by 28 October
Better Call Boris: Ukraine weighs in
The Ukrainian government’s Twitter page has waded into the debate over who should succeed Liz Truss as prime minister.
In reference to Netflix programme Better Call Saul, it posted a graphic with Boris Johnson’s face featuring text reading: “Better Call Boris.”
The former prime minister was popular in Kyiv for his full-throated support for Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion.
Liz Truss aides ‘pretended her relatives had died’ to get her out of going on TV
Liz Truss‘s aides would concoct stories about family members dying in order to get the top Tory out of television appearances, it has been claimed.
Kirsty Buchanan, who worked for the new prime minister when she was justice secretary, said Ms Truss did not like doing media.
“She didn’t like the media, so we used to spend quite a lot of time making up excuses and killing off minor members of her family so she didn’t have to go on Question Time,” Ms Buchanan, a former political journalist who has also worked in No 10 said.
Speaking on the Whitehall Sources podcast, the ex-aide clarified : “Only minor people like aunts and cousins and things – I’m not talking about major members of the family.”
Eventually Ms Buchanan said Ms Truss’s team “ran out of excuses” and the Tory MP had to appear on the flagship BBC politics programme.
Liz Truss aides ‘pretended her relatives had died’ to get her out of going on TV
Staffer claims only ‘minor people like aunts and cousins’ were killed off
More from the Daily Star with the Liz Truss lettuce. A projection of the costumed salad mainstay was shone onto the Houses of Parliament tonight after it outlasted the Mr Truss’s prime ministerial career.
Former Tory leader says party members shouldn’t get final say
Michael Howard, leader of the Tories from 2003-05, said he does not think party members should have the final say in electing Liz Truss’s successor.
“We are a parliamentary democracy and it’s in the House of Commons that these matters should be decided,” he said, adding that he tried to change Tory party rules while leader to end the membership vote.
Stanley Johnson ‘hope’ Boris stands for Tory leadership
Boris Johnson’s father Stanley has said he hopes his son will run to become prime minister again.
Mr Johnson senior told TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored: “Frankly I have no idea whether Boris is going to be a candidate in this election, no idea at all, but I think he has a very strong record to be considered as a viable candidate and I very much hope he will let his name go forward.”
Despite his son’s divisive reputation, Mr Johnson insisted that he could be a unifying force within the Conservative Party if he won.
“Boris is my elder son. He’s going to be crucial in uniting these warring parts of the Tory party,” he said.
Candidates to replace Liz Truss will need support of 100 MPs to join Tory race
Tory party chiefs have moved to speed up the contest to replace Liz Truss by requiring candidates to have the support of 100 MPs to enter it (Andrew Woodcock writes).
The threshold – much higher than the 20 nominations needed last time – could also keep Boris Johnson out of the race, after he signalled his hopes of making a sensational return.
If only one MP gains 100 nominations, they will become prime minister immediately, with no contest.
Many Tories are hoping for such a “coronation” to prevent party members having a say on the next leader – but Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Suella Braverman, Kemi Badenoch and others are ready to run.
“We fixed a high threshold but a threshold that should be achievable by any serious candidate who has a prospect of going through,” chair of the 1922 Committee, Graham Brady, said.
Candidates to replace Liz Truss will need support of 100 MPs to join Tory race
High threshold – it was 20 nominations last time – could keep Boris Johnson out of contest
