THERE are calls for stability after weeks of political turmoil which came to a crescendo this afternoon as Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister.
It followed a chaotic 44 days in office and a new PM is expected to be in place by the end of next week.
The Tories will now scramble to find a replacement who will become the third leader in two months.
Allies of former leader Boris Johnson pushed for him to make a comeback while Rishi Sunak, who defeated Ms Truss among MPs in the last contest, also has supporters at Westminster.
In a Telegraph & Argus poll, the majority of people, 43 per cent, backed Mr Johnson, while Mr Sunak ranked second with 30 per cent.
Labour demanded a general election, while Tory leadership hopefuls were assessing their chances of taking over.
A little over 24 hours after insisting she was “a fighter, not a quitter”, Ms Truss stood at a lectern in Downing Street and said she had informed the King she was resigning as Tory leader.
She said she recognised she “cannot deliver the mandate” which Tory members gave her a little over six weeks ago when she replaced Mr Johnson.
Her announcement followed talks with the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives, Sir Graham Brady, where it became clear she could not hope to carry on.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by husband Hugh O’Leary, said a short leadership contest “will ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plan and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security”.
“I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.”
Sir Graham said the process could be concluded by October 28 so the new leader can be in place in time for a crucial financial statement on October 31 which is intended to reassure the City of London that the Government has a plan to repair the nation’s finances.
He said there was an expectation that Tory members would be involved in the process but “I think we’re deeply conscious of the imperative in the national interest of resolving this clearly and quickly”.
The contest to replace Mr Johnson lasted longer than Ms Truss’s premiership, paralysing the Government at a time of a cost-of-living crisis.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded a general election “now” so that the nation can have “a chance at a fresh start”.
Without a general election, the Conservatives will be on their third prime minister on the mandate won by Mr Johnson in December 2019.
Sir Keir said: “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.”
Ms Truss’s 44 days in office falls months behind the next shortest premiership of Tory statesman George Canning, who spent 118 full days as PM in 1827 before dying in office.
The Conservative Group on Bradford Council said it would be “unrealistic to downplay the tumultuous nature of the last few weeks in British politics”.
Deputy leader Debbie Davies said: “I do not doubt that the vast majority of Bradford District residents share the desire of my Conservative Group colleagues and I, to see the current upheaval come to a speedy end.
“We are thus pleased that arrangements have been put in place to ensure that we have a new Prime Minister in roughly a week, rather than the many weeks that it usually takes.
“At present, the country needs stability as much as at any time I have seen in my lifetime and I hope that we will have this in ten days or so".
Meanwhile, Bradford South MP Judith Cummins said the Tories “can’t run their own party, let alone the country”.
She said: “But while the Tories dither and waste time on yet another leadership election at this critical time for the nation, my constituents are still worried sick about how they will make ends meet - with higher mortgages and rent; how they will put food on the table and if the lights will be kept on this winter.
“Britain and its people deserve better.”
Kim Leadbeater, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, called for a general election.
She said: “The chaos in government and the total failure of leadership has seen inflation and household bills rocket, pushed businesses to the point of closure and seen our NHS and Education sector under unsustainable pressure.
“That is unforgivable. The Conservative Party has lost all authority to govern and cannot impose another Prime Minister with no mandate from the country.
“There must be a General Election now to allow the people of Britain to choose a government that can unite our country and provide a fresh start with a competent, responsible leader who will put the country, not party, first.”
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