After the resignation of Liz Truss as Prime Minister of Great Britain, there is only a vague timetable - and many unanswered questions. This also has to do with the fact that her predecessor Boris Johnson had resigned as head of the Conservative Party and thus also as Prime Minister of the country just a few months earlier - and there had been no new elections. Some open questions are clarified in the following overview:
Why is Truss resigning?
The pressure on her had become too great. It had been building steadily for weeks - coupled with market dissatisfaction - despite their plans, which were supposed to be pro-rich. Just last Friday, Truss fired her Treasury Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, and replaced him with former Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt. On Monday, Hunt reversed almost all elements of its tax policy, which was only announced at the end of September - a great embarrassment for Truss.
Yesterday, Wednesday, the departure of Home Secretary Suella Braverman accelerated the government's decline. There were also tumultuous scenes in Parliament. In some cases, conservative MPs are said to have been intimidated and pressured into voting for the government. Many observers described the scenes as never having happened. Eventually, Truss pulled the ripcord and announced her resignation.
How does it go from here?
Whoever it is, the Conservative Group wants to have a new British Prime Minister in office by October 31, according to Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Group's powerful 1922 Committee. "We are very aware of the need in the national interest to get this done very quickly and clearly," Brady said. In the summer, finding a successor to the scandal-plagued ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson dragged on for weeks.
Or are new elections coming?
This is conceivable, but it is difficult to dismiss the justification for demands in this regard. Labor leader Keir Starmer has called for an immediate general election. "The Tories cannot just snap their fingers and change the people at the top without the consent of the people," he said. Truss had already come into office without a mandate of his own, having replaced the scandal-ridden Boris Johnson last month. Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon also called for a general election.
The next general election in Great Britain must take place in January 2025 at the latest. Should there be new elections in the foreseeable future, that would probably play into the hands of the Labor Party. According to polls, the opposition Labor Party would win an election by a landslide, while the conservative Tories would lose hundreds of seats.
The question of all questions: what about Boris Johnson?
According to several media reports, Johnson is preparing a comeback. As a senior Times editor tweeted, Johnson considers the developments a "matter of national interest" and is preparing to run for the Conservative Party presidency. As leader of the Tories, Johnson would also be British Prime Minister. Of course, should the pressure increase, the Conservatives could still get in the way of new elections.
Is there a favorite for the post?
It is still unclear who will succeed Truss. Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who recently took office, reportedly declined to run. Ex-Finance Minister Rishi Sunak was defeated by Truss in a runoff election to succeed ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the summer. Although he is considered controversial in the group, according to a recent YouGov survey, the 42-year-old has the best approval ratings among possible successors. Parliamentary Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace are also considered possible alternatives.
