Labour leader Keir Starmer has called for a general election following Prime Minister Liz Truss resigning this afternoon, saying that the British public deserves better than the "revolving door of chaos" that 12 years of the Tory party has brought.
Ms Truss made a statement outside Downing Street at 1.30pm today (Thursday, October 20) announcing her resignation.
She said: "I recognise I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.
Liz Truss 'apologises' for mistakes as Prime Minister
"I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party. There will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week.
"I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen."
Due to her resignation, she has become the shortest-serving Prime Minister in UK history at just 44 days in the post.
What did Keir Starmer have to say about Liz Truss's resignation?
Starmer said: “The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern.
“After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos. In the last few years, the Tories have set record-high taxation, trashed our institutions and created a cost-of-living crisis. Now, they have crashed the economy so badly that people are facing £500 a month extra on their mortgages. The damage they have done will take years to fix.
“Each one of these crises was made in Downing Street but paid for by the British public. Each one has left our country weaker and worse off.
Britain can’t afford the Tories’ chaos.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 20, 2022
My Labour government will provide the stability and leadership needed.
For our economy. For growth. For working people.
General Election, now.
“The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people. They do not have a mandate to put the country through yet another experiment; Britain is not their personal fiefdom to run how they wish.
“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.”
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