Thousands have signed online petitions calling for an immediate general election after a tumultuous few days in UK politics saw Liz Truss announce that she is standing down as Prime Minister after less than two months in office as the shortest prime minister in British history whose whole tenure has been a total disaster and a farce. She quit after a crunch meeting with Sir Graham Brady, the powerful chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers.
Liz Truss has said a leadership contest would take place
within the next week and she would remain in place until a successor was
chosen. In a brief statement outside 10 Downing Street on Thursday
lunchtime she said she had come "into office at a time of great economic
and international instability". She said: "We set out a vision for a
low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms
of Brexit."
While she said her administration had "delivered on
energy bills and on cutting national insurance" the outgoing PM said: "I
recognise... given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I
was elected by the Conservative Party." The short-lived premier said
she had spoken to the King to notify him that she was resigning the Tory
leadership with the intention that a new PM could be selected. See her full statement here.
Truss's resignation came the day after Suella Braverman resigned as Home Secretary and less than a week after former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was sacked.She will remain in office, not in power as a figurehead of a Zombie Government until her successor is chosen. What is truly astonishing Truss now gets £115k every year until she dies..
The Conservative Party has confirmed that it's MP's need to submit their notification by 2pm on Monday October.Only 24 candidates with more than 100 notifications from MP's will go through and if only one candidate crosses the threshold they will become the next UK Prime Minister on Monday. It is important to note the wider public and voters have no say in choosing their next primeminister, it's all a total farce. Here's Jonathan Pie's damning thoughts on the news.
Disgraced former PM Boris Johnson is understood to be seriously considering joining the race
to replace Ms Truss.This dishonest man who was dumped out of office by his own MPs just three
months ago after becoming mired in a deluge of scandals, resigned, and we
now hear he believes it is a matter of "national interest" that he puts
his name forward to return. Even by his unabashed standards, this is
quite something. Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are both also seen
as contenders. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruled himself out of
contention.
Ms Truss said this would mean the Tories would
"remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans". Newly-installed
chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to set out a new economic programme on
October 31. Sir Graham said he expected the new leader to be in place by
Friday, October 28. He told reporters: “I have spoken to the party
chairman Jake Berry and he has confirmed that it will be possible to
conduct a ballot and conclude a leadership election by Friday, October
28. So we should have a new leader in place before the fiscal statement
which will take place on the 31st.” 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".
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 Boris Johnson in
December 2019.
Sir Keir said: “The Conservative Party has shown
it no longer has a mandate to govern. 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. We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a
general election – now.”
Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford
echoed those sentiments. He said: “This has been a complete and utter failure of government with everyone in this country now having to pay
the price. The complete lack of leadership is preventing decisions and
actions from being taken to deal with the many challenges we are facing
and help people over what is going to be a very difficult winter.
Unfortunately the deep and intractable divisions within the government
means that any successor put forward will face the same set of
challenges. A general election is now the only way to end this
paralysis.”
A number of petitions have since been launched calling for a General Electopn,The Mirror has launched its own petition on the 38degrees petitions website. It said it was time for the British people to decide who runs the country.
The
petition said: "To serve this country as Prime Minister was once a
great honour. Those who stepped through the famous black door of Downing
Street followed in the esteemed footsteps of William Gladstone, Winston
Churchill and Clement Attlee. "This Tory government has turned
the centre of power into a bargain basement B&B for a succession of
failed leaders. This abuse against democracy has to stop. A few thousand
Conservative Party members should not be allowed to foist on this
country one dud Prime Minister after another."The petition can be found HERE.
A petition on the UK Government website, 'Call an immediate general
election so that the people can decide who should lead us through the
unprecedented crises threatening the UK' currently has more than 600,000
signatures and was created in July.
The Government's response to
it in September was: "The UK is a Parliamentary democracy and the
Conservative Party remains the majority party. The Prime Minist er has
pledged to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future
generations."The petition is HERE.
Change.org. the petition "We
Need a General Election Now" was set up by David Marley, acting editor
of the Independent. At the time of writing, it has been signed by over 300,000 people. It argues: "It is time for voters to decide who
should govern the country and uphold the democratic principles our
governing bodies are built on. For this reason, we are calling for a
general election now.' https://www.change.org/p/we-need-a-general-election-now-generalelectionnow
The Tories had their chance to deliver a competent Prime Minister. They blew it, as they led the country from crisis to crisis with stunning displays of ineptitude and sheer incompetance,combined with their shameful policies that are hitting ordinary people so hard at this present time, and making us a laughing stock to the world.They cannot be allowed a second bite of the cherry. It is simply not democratically acceptable to have three Prime Ministers in four months without a General Election.
When millions of people are skipping meals and struggling to pay their bills, we can't afford another Tory coronation. They have no mandate to run this country and have forfeited any right to be called a serious government.If they really care about the national interest, if they really want to 'deliver on the people's priorities" ' It is a simple and fundamental principle that the government derives its democratic legitimacy from the people. Let the people have their say by calling an immediate General Election to end this Tory shambles and misrule.
The continuity chancellor Jeremy Hunt is introducing economic plans that no one voted for, representing a party that the electorate does not want in power anymore and which if there was a general election tomorrow would be thrown out of office for a generation.
Britain's constitution currently offers no solution to this. The only possible way out would be a motion of no confidence in Parliament. but this would require two-thirds of all MPs to vote in favour a motion that would immediately trigger a general election. Tory MP's will not willingly vote themselves out of jobs.
There can be little doubt that the electorate will not forget or forgive the attempts by Liz Truss and her cabinet to cut taxes for the very richest individuals and companies, leaving the majority too struggle for the basics, in what was a grotesque ideological experiment. They would choose to get rid of the whole bloody rotten bunch for good.
They are a stain on our democracy who are totally unfit to govern, wreckers all, delivering serial lies, dishonesty, continuing economic vandalism,12 years of utter failure, delivering complete moral and political bankruptcy that has left us with the NHS in ruin. Food banks overflowing. U-turn after u-turn, human right removed, and an increasing hostile environment.We need the entire smug self serving Tory government to resign. Enough is enough, we cannot afford their Tory chaos any longer. We must demand a General election, while also accepting at the same time, that our current political system must change too, that currently is not fit for purpose and does not serve the people.
