Vision of Shoes sitting emotionless in parliament on Monday as her new finance minister disrupted a program of tax cuts and deregulation intended to secure her elevation to Downing Street prompted calls from the 47-year-old to quit. .
Some Truss Conservative lawmakers have said she must step down, but Britain’s dominant political party is deeply divided after 12 years in power, limiting the possibility of a consensus on a replacement. unify the warring factions.
Truss has become the UK’s fourth prime minister in six years after the country’s difficult exit from the European Union combined with the Covid-19 pandemic to create one of the most tumultuous eras in politics. England for the past 50 years.
Here are details on how Truss could be removed from power and who could replace her:
1922, again
Anyone who has followed British politics in recent years is familiar with the role of the 1922 Committee, which has the power to force a Conservative leader out of office.
Both Boris Johnson and Theresa May faced, and survived, a vote of confidence but both resigned shortly thereafter. A prime minister is said to face no challenge in their first year but the committee has shown itself willing to change past rules.
Normally, 15% of the more than 350 Conservative Party lawmakers would need to request a vote of confidence. The committee’s treasurer has said that an “overwhelming majority” would need to request a vote to get one in the first year.
Resignation, party pressure
Alternatively, Truss could step down if she decides to lose party support but so far she has said she will fight. Johnson was eventually forced out after his ministers left in droves, but Truss’ cabinet has so far remained loyal.
Who would want the job?
With divisions within the party, there is no clear candidate and any replacement will face a country potentially falling into recession. Here are the top names:
Rishi Sunak
Britain’s former finance minister is the most popular candidate among Conservative lawmakers at Westminster, but after weathering a fight against Truss, he lost a participatory vote of about 170,000 party members make the final decision.
Many members were angered when Sunak quit in July, helping to trigger a rebellion that eventually brought Johnson down. They also ignored his warning that markets could lose confidence in Britain if Truss delivers on her unrefundable tax cuts.
Betting exchange Betfair has Sunak as the favorite to replace Truss, but lawmakers who remain loyal to Johnson will likely oppose the move.
Jeremy Hunt
When Truss’ economic program collapsed, the prime minister fired her finance minister and turned to Hunt, a former foreign affairs and health minister, to handle things.
A series of confident displays on television and in the House of Commons, when he tore up Truss’ economic manifesto, led some Conservative lawmakers to consider Hunt the “real prime minister”.
He insists he doesn’t want the top job, despite having entered two previous races to become prime minister, including in 2019 when he lost to Johnson in the final round. Hunt does not have the clear support of a large group of lawmakers in parliament.
Ben Wallace
The UK Defense Secretary is one of the few ministers to have emerged from recent political turmoil with his popularity elevated. Wallace, a military veteran who was defense secretary to both Johnson and Truss, spearheaded the British response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Popular with party members, he surprised many earlier this year by saying he would not run for leadership, saying he wanted to focus on his current job. He told the Times this week that he still wants to stay as defense secretary.
Coins Mordaunt
A former Defense Secretary, Mordaunt was a staunch supporter of Britain’s departure from the EU, who missed just the last two places in the recent leadership challenge.
Mordaunt won critical acclaim for her performance in parliament on Monday, as she defended the government even as it reversed most of its policies.
One lawmaker described Mordaunt as having “widespread appeal”, referring to the party’s ability to find friends among different tribes.
Boris Johnson
Former prime minister Boris Johnson, a journalist, has been well known in British politics since he became Mayor of London in 2008. After causing trouble for leaders such as David Cameron and Theresa May, he ended up in trouble. became prime minister in 2019 and went on to win a landslide election victory.
Johnson was the face of the Brexit vote and won votes in places that had never voted Conservative before. But he was forced out by a series of scandals.
Some of those closest to him said at the moment he was more interested in making money on the public speaking circuit than getting back into front-line politics.
