Twitter exploded with memes and jokes mocking ousted Liz Truss as the Prime Minister resigns amid the crumbling backdrop of his chaotic government after just 44 days in office.
Following her resignation, Ms Truss is set to become the shortest Prime Minister in history, having lost the trust of Tory MPs and the public, fought and lost an open Tory revolt demanding her departure and overseen economic turmoil .
Now the exhausted Prime Minister is torn to shreds on Twitter as social media is flooded with hilarious memes.
Twitter exploded with memes and jokes mocking ousted Liz Truss as the Prime Minister resigns amid the crumbling backdrop of his chaotic government after just 44 days in office
Speaking from a lectern in Downing Street this afternoon, Ms Truss said she had told the King she was stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party as she recognized she ‘could not fulfill the mandate’ ‘ that Conservative members entrusted to him just over six weeks ago.
She spoke to the chairman of the 1922 Conservative backbench committee, Sir Graham Brady, and agreed to a new leadership election “which will end next week”.
“This will ensure that we remain on track to implement our fiscal plan and maintain the economic stability and national security of our country,” she added, while accompanied by her husband Hugh O’ Leary.
“I will remain Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.”
His decision to step down will spark a stampede among Tory leadership candidates who will face an uphill battle to revive the party’s fortunes.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt was quick to rule himself out as he focuses on calming financial markets.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak and current House Leader Penny Mordaunt are among the frontrunners in the battle to replace Ms Truss.
This afternoon Sir Brady announced that Tory MPs hoping to be put on the ballot for the next party leader are expected to receive nominations from 100 of their colleagues.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson currently has the most Tory MPs backing him
Ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak is almost certain to stand tall and steps right behind Mr Johnson tonight
House Leader Penny Mordaunt sits in third place tonight with 12 MPs backing her
The threshold of 100 deputies means that a maximum of three deputies can make it to the final vote.
Tonight Mr Johnson is in the lead with at least 38 Tories backing him. He is closely followed by Mr Sunak with 27 – Ms Mordaunt has 12.
However, Mr Johnson is currently in the Caribbean and will need to return to the UK to launch an effective campaign by 2pm on Monday, when nominations close.
Sir Graham Brady said after talks with the Conservative Party board and the executive of the 1922 Conservative backbenchers committee he chairs, nominations start immediately and end at 2pm Monday.
“We have set a high threshold but a threshold that should be achievable by any serious candidate who has a prospect of passing,” he told reporters outside parliament.
Sir Graham Brady MPs who hope to have their names on Monday’s ballot are expected to have at least 100 nominations from their colleagues
Party chairman Sir Jake Berry said Conservative headquarters would work with broadcasters to organize a broadcast event so members could hear the final two candidates – if there are two – before casting their ballots.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer has demanded a general election ‘now’ so the nation can have ‘a chance for a fresh start’.
Without a general election, the Tories will be their third Prime Minister in the term Boris Johnson won in December 2019.
Sir Keir said: ‘The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern. The British public deserves to have a say in the future of the country. They must have the chance to compare the Tories’ chaos with Labor’s plans to fix their mess, grow the economy for working people and rebuild the country for a fairer and greener future.
“We have to have a chance to make a fresh start. We need general elections – now.
Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside 10 Downing Street
Prime Minister Liz Truss returns inside No10 with her husband Hugh O’Leary
Ms Truss’s resignation came just over 24 hours after she told MPs she was ‘a fighter, not a quitter’.
But his chances of survival have been reduced following chaotic scenes in the Commons following the resignation of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.
The number of Tory MPs publicly demanding Ms Truss’s resignation doubled before the end of lunch on Thursday, taking the total to 15, but many more were privately agitating for her out.
The pound rose on news of the resignation after another 24-hour volatility for the currency amid political unrest.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘We don’t need another Tory prime minister swinging from crisis to crisis. We need a general election now and the Tories out of power.
Ms Truss had summoned Sir Graham to Downing Street for a hastily arranged meeting on Thursday morning, sources saying she was ‘taking the temperature’ of the Tory party.
It was unclear what Sir Graham told her, but she realized her time was up. “The statement was the result” of their conversation, a source confirmed.
Ms Truss’s 44-day term falls months behind the next shortest premiership of Tory statesman George Canning, who spent a full 118 days as prime minister in 1827 before dying active.
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