Britain’s Government On Brink Of Collapse As Liz Truss Clings To Power

Topline

British Prime Minister Liz Truss is desperately fighting to stay in power Thursday after one of her key ministers quit and chaos dramatically engulfed a key government vote last night, sparking turmoil within the leading Conservative Party and renewing calls for her removal—here’s what you need to know.

Liz Truss is on track to be Britain’s shortest ever Prime Minister.

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Key Facts

Liz Truss has just 12 hours to save her premiership, lawmaker Simon Hoare told the BBC, after she lost Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Wednesday, and a key government vote in Parliament on fracking descended into chaos on the same day.

At that vote, lawmakers reported shouting, bullying and physical aggression as Truss’ aides pressured politicians to back the government’s controversial position on fracking.

Confusingly, the vote was inconsistently billed as a vote of confidence in Truss’ government—meaning defectors would be forced out of the party—and chief whip Wendy Morton, a Truss ally, was pushed out of government and deputy chief whip Craig Whittaker resigned in protest amid the tumult, though both have since been reinstated.

Braverman, who unsuccessfully ran against Truss to replace Boris Johnson and is popular among the party’s right wing, accused the government of “breaking key pledges” to voters in an excoriating resignation letter.

Her departure is a major knock to Truss’ authority and comes days after Truss fired finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng and u-turned on most of her flagship economic policies that caused economic turmoil.

Key Background

Truss is on the cusp of securing the dubious honor of becoming Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister in history. She is profoundly unpopular with members of the public and her own party and holds the record as the country’s least popular prime minister in the history of polling. She is not expected to remain in office much longer and is facing open rebellion from lawmakers after having lost several important cabinet members and u-turned on multiple flagship policies in a matter of weeks. Though short, Truss’ tenure at Number 10 Downing Street feels as eventful as those serving much longer terms. Days after assuming the role, Queen Elizabeth II died after sitting on the throne for more than 70 years, kick-starting a period of national mourning, King Charles III’s formal accession and a huge state funeral. Once mourning ended, finance minister Kwarteng announced a series of fiscal policies—including unfunded tax cuts that disproportionately benefited the wealthy—that sparked domestic outrage, sent the pound plummeting to record lows and spooked markets. The Bank of England intervened to quell market chaos, Truss reversed course on several key ideas and fired Kwarteng, later installing a finance minister who reversed almost all the policies.

Further Viewing

A celebrity lettuce has captivated the nation in its attempt to outlast Truss’ time in office. The lettuce, complete with googly eyes and a blonde wig, is being live streamed by British tabloid the Daily Star, which asks: “Will Liz Truss outlast this lettuce?” The vegetable has since garnered media attention on the international stage and is poised to outlast the beleaguered prime minister.

What To Watch For

A new leader. Truss’ departure will trigger yet another leadership race among Conservative politicians and the winner will assume the mantle of prime minister. Lawmakers are reportedly loath to repeat the drawn out selection process that put Truss in office and are considering changing the rules or fielding a unity candidate to avoid another spectacle. It’s possible Truss could stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected. Her predecessors, Boris Johnson and Theresa May, both stayed on for weeks after resigning.

What We Don’t Know

Whether the U.K. will hold another general election. A general election is held in the U.K. when the prime minister formally seeks one from the sovereign or when the government loses a formal confidence motion or a vote it has billed as a confidence issue, such as the chaotic fracking vote. Many Conservative lawmakers feel it will be hard to justify a second change in leadership during the single election cycle since Boris Johnson led the party to victory in 2019 without going back to the public and pressure for an election is already mounting. The Tories are being battered in the polls, which project a landslide victory for Labour and could see many senior ministers lose their seats. Some polls even suggest an outcome so bad the Conservatives are forced out of opposition as well as government, with fewer MPs than the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats. Truss herself may choose to fight to keep her seat representing South West Norfolk in Parliament, which she has held since May 2010.