The Prime Minister ‘sounded spooked by how fast things were happening’, said a source (Picture: Getty)
Liz Truss had a sleepless night frantically texting friends ahead of yesterday’s shock resignation.
Her time in No 10, which lasted just 44 days, came to an end after frenzied plotting among her own MPs, who had lost faith following the fall-out from a disastrous ‘mini-budget’.
Britain is set to have a new leader within a week.
Tories were reportedly alerted to Ms Truss’s potential resignation, which came a day after she told the Commons she was a ‘fighter not a quitter’, in the early hours of yesterday morning.
‘She sounded spooked by how fast things were happening,’ one ally told MailOnline.
The source added: ‘But she still thought she could survive.
‘Then the texts started to come through again the next morning and her mood had changed. It’s never a good sign to be texting people at 4am and by that point she seemed to have realised it was probably over.’
Liz Truss resigns: What happens next?
Liz Truss has stepped down as Conservative Party leader and UK Prime Minister after just 44 days. So what happens next?
– Liz Truss’ speech in full after resigning as Prime Minister
– Will the new Prime Minister be elected by the public?
– Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak to go head to head
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Read the latest Liz Truss news on Metro.co.uk’s dedicated page.
Ms Truss was said to feel ‘quite relieved’ after her speech yesterday.
Liz Truss spoke to the nation from Downing Street, as she was watched by husband Hugh O’Leary (Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
A political source told the Telegraph: ’She felt, really since the mini-Budget unravelled, that it was just going to be very tough to keep going.
‘She is in a good mood. She’s actually quite fine about it. The party is pretty close to ungovernable.’
In yesterday’s resignation speech, Ms Truss told the nation she had spoken to King Charles and that a leadership election would take place within the next week.
She had faced calls throughout the day to stand down in the wake of unprecedented political turmoil.
On the steps of Downing Street, she said: ‘This morning I met the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
‘We’ve agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.
‘This will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.’
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‘She sounded spooked by how fast things were happening’, said a source.