Will there be a general election after Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister?

The Conservative Party have announced a leadership race after Liz Truss resigned as PM – despite calls for a general election (Picture: EPA)

After a turbulent 44 days, Liz Truss has become the shortest serving Prime Minister in history after announcing her resignation.

But with all the chaos and confusion emerging from Westminster, what happens next and could there be a general election on the horizon?

Truss resigned as Prime Minister earlier today following a disastrous mini budget and the chaos erupted in the House of Commons last night.

And just hours earlier, Home Secretary Suella Braverman quit her role. It was also reported the two ‘had a 90-minute shouting match’.

But, after Truss’ resignation, the Conservative Party are unlikely to call a general election as know they will lose, a political expert has said.

Dr Anna Sanders, a lecturer in politics at the University of York, told Metro.co.uk the Tories would be ‘unwise’ to call a snap election due to their sinking popularity.

Instead the decision to implement a leadership race, which will be completed in a week, was the ‘best option’ the party could make for themselves.

The only people who can vote in the race are Conservative MPs and party members, who ‘sit to the right of the average voter’ and ‘do not represent the general public’.

Dr Sanders said: ‘Replacing Liz Truss is the most logical decision the Conservative party can make, but selecting a replacement is down to Tory members who are not representative of the general public.

‘It does raise the discussion that this is yet another leader who has not been elected and has been selected without going to the general public.

‘It leads to the question of how democratic this whole thing is.’

Dr Anna Sanders told Metro.co.uk the Conservative Party are unlikely to put the vote to the public due to the impact of Theresa May’s snap election (Picture: University of York)

Currently the next election is scheduled to be held no later than January 2025, which Truss vow to guide her party into.

The Prime Minister is able to call an early election if they wish, but they need to make a ‘request’ to the King to dissolve Parliament.

But there is no constitutional requirement for a new party leader to call one.

If a general election were to be called now, the Conservatives are unlikely to win, according to the polls.

Labour are currently holding a huge 36 point lead over the ruling party, leaving some Conservative MPs worried about their jobs.

Dr Sanders said: ‘The last time we saw such a clear lead in the polls was in 1997, when Labour were leading by up to 24% in the week before the general election, which they won by a landslide.

‘We saw snap elections called under Boris Johnson and Theresa May to try and secure a mandate, but with the current polling numbers, it would be unwise.

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‘Theresa May’s decision also showed the danger of calling an election too early.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a general election ‘now’, saying the British people ‘deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos’.

He said: ‘In the last few years, the Tories have set record-high taxation, trashed our institutions and created a cost-of-living crisis.

‘The British public deserve a proper say on the country’s future. They must have the chance to compare the Tories’ chaos with Labour’s plans to sort out their mess, grow the economy for working people and rebuild the country for a fairer, greener future.

‘We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election – now.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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A leadership race has begun following Liz Truss’s resignation.