Liz Truss resigns: Race kicks off to find her successor within a week

A fast-tracked contention to find the adjacent Tory person and premier curate has kicked disconnected hours aft Liz Truss dramatically resigned arsenic PM, hardly six weeks into the job.

Hopefuls request the backing of 100 MPs by Monday, with her successor apt to beryllium announced by Friday astatine the latest.

New Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruled himself retired but Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are seen arsenic contenders.

Sources adjacent to Boris Johnson neither corroborate nor contradict helium volition basal again.

A fistful of the erstwhile premier minister's biggest governmental supporters are pressing him to marque a comeback.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has been encouraging MP colleagues to nominate Mr Johnson, Conservative sources person told BBC News.

The Daily Telegraph quoted an state of Mr Johnson arsenic saying helium could connection an "olive branch" to Mr Sunak, his erstwhile chancellor whose resignation contributed to his downfall.

But others are unconvinced. Tory MP John Baron said it would beryllium intolerable to service successful a caller Johnson authorities and suggested helium would go autarkic instead.

Mr Johnson, who is connected vacation successful the Caribbean, was forced to resign arsenic Conservative person successful July pursuing a drawstring of scandals.

Other names being touted arsenic contenders, though not confirmed, see Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis and Suella Braverman, who resigned arsenic location caput connected Wednesday.

Michael Gove and Tom Tugendhat, who stood successful the past contention held implicit the summer, person said they volition beryllium this 1 out.

At 13:35 BST connected Thursday, aft days of turmoil, chaos and rebellion, Liz Truss delivered a little resignation connection nether grey skies extracurricular No 10, a lone fig with conscionable her husband, Hugh O'Leary, lasting to 1 side.

She told the wide of waiting camera crews and reporters she could not present the mandate connected which she had been elected, and would resign.

In truthful doing, she volition go the shortest-serving British premier curate successful history.

Opposition parties instantly insisted it was clip for a wide predetermination to determine who should beryllium the adjacent premier minister.

Labour person Sir Keir Starmer said his enactment was connected an predetermination footing, with a manifesto astatine the ready.

Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Wales's First Minister Mark Drakeford each demanded the electorate decide.

The adjacent wide predetermination is not owed to instrumentality spot until astatine slightest 2024 and, astatine this stage, it looks improbable that day volition beryllium brought forward.

Ms Truss, 47, has said she volition enactment connected until her successor is chosen. They volition inherit a fractious enactment 12 years into office, with turmoil astatine location and abroad.

Ms Truss's resignation comes aft respective weeks of governmental and economical turbulence - and 1 time aft she told MPs she was "a fighter, not a quitter".

Her now-abandoned September mini-budget started the turmoil, sending fiscal markets into a tailspin. In response, she sacked her chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and appointed Jeremy Hunt to the station hours aboriginal to effort to calm the markets.

On Wednesday, her location secretary, Suella Braverman, resigned and a chaotic nighttime with accusations of bullying during a ballot successful the House of Commons followed, sealing her fate.

Through Thursday morning, the fig of MPs publically calling for the premier curate to spell doubled and Sir Graham Brady, president of the influential 1922 Committee - a radical of backbench MPs, was summoned to No 10 to springiness her an update.

Within the hr Ms Truss was joined by her deputy, Therese Coffey, and enactment president Jake Berry arsenic unit connected her to discontinue became insurmountable.

Graham Stuart, a authorities minister, said helium had nary thought the PM's resignation was coming, contempt being successful her cabinet.

He aboriginal told BBC One's Question Time helium sat successful soundlessness with colleagues successful the House of Commons beverage room, watching her connection connected TV.

"I consciousness disappointed, shocked, I backed Liz Truss," helium said, and apologised to the state for the "instability" caused.

It present falls to Sir Graham Brady, of the 1922 Committee, to organise the expedited contention to find Ms Truss's successor who, helium says, could beryllium chosen by adjacent Friday.

Under enactment rules, enactment hopefuls volition request to unafraid the enactment of 100 MPs to participate the contest.

There are 357 Conservative MPs truthful that means a maximum of 3 candidates tin stand.

A archetypal ballot volition beryllium held among MPs and the idiosyncratic with the lowest fig of votes volition beryllium eliminated, if determination are 3 candidates.

If a 2nd ballot is needed, MPs volition beryllium capable to awesome who they similar done an indicative vote.

And if some candidates opt to enactment successful the race, the last determination volition spell to enactment members via an online vote.