Remembering Liz Truss’s 44 days as PM
Liz Truss resigned from office after just 44 days becoming the UK’s shortest-serving PM in history.
She came into office on 6 September, after winning the summer leadership race to replace Boris Johnson – who was ousted from No10 following a series of scandals.
Her 44 days are significantly shorter than the previous record holder of 119 days in office, held by George Canning, whose run as PM ended because he died in 1827.
U-turns and economic turmoil will always be associated with Liz Truss. Her disastrous mini-Budget in her third week on the job was the start of the end. Her then chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled £45bn of unfunded tax cuts.
The mini-Budget will be remembered for crashing the economy and sending the pound to record lows. Almost all of the mini-Budget has now been junked, Kwarteng got the sack, and Truss was out of a job not long after.
The chaos continued as Tories started publicly calling on her to step down. Her Home Secretary Suella Braverman quit after breaching the ministerial code, but her resignation letter made it clear she was not supportive of a Liz Truss government.
Then there was confusion over a fracking vote and whether it was a confidence vote. There were reports of manhandling and bullying from Cabinet ministers towards Tory MPs during the vote. There were reports the Chief and Deputy whip quit on the spot, but then they came back. No one was sure what happened, but everyone knew it was the end.
By the next day, Liz Truss announced her resignation. She had pledged massive tax cuts but confirmed in her speech, she could not deliver on the mandate she was elected on.
U-turns defined Liz Truss’s premiership. She pledged and went back on many things during her 44 days. Perhaps most fittingly, at Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions she said she was a “fighter, not a quitter,” but by the next day, she had quit.