U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss Announces Resignation 45 Days into Premiership

Mar. 15, 2025

British Prime MinisterLiz Trusshas announced her resignation just 45 days into her premiership, putting her on track to become the shortest-serving prime minister in the nation’s history.

Truss' resignation came one day after she vowed she was “a fighter and not a quitter,” and amid an increasing chorus of voices calling on her to step down.

Outside No.10 Downing on Thursday, she informed her constituents that she had notifiedKing Charles IIIof her intent to step down, and would continue her duties for a few more days until a new Conservative Party leader is chosen.

Truss, 47, was selected in September to replace former Prime MinisterBoris Johnson, who agreed tostep down as the British prime ministertwo months prior. Johnson, who was elected prime ministerin July 2019, had a tenure mired with scandal.

Truss' appointment made her the third and youngest woman to serve as prime minister, behindMargaret Thatcher(1979–1990) andTheresa May(2016–2019). Her margin of victory was slimmer than many expected, as she won just 57% of the votes of Conservative Party members to become its leader.

She previously served as Britain’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Minister for Women and Equalities since 2019.

Rob Pinney/Getty

Truss was immediately thrust into the spotlight with thedeath of Queen Elizabeth II, which occurred just two days after the monarch formallyappointed the prime minister to the roleat Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

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But once the Queen’s funeral processions ended, voters turned on Truss, with critics arguing she wasn’t doing enough tothwart a financial crisis.

Truss faced low approval ratings after the British government announced tax cuts that would largely favor the wealthy — an announcement that caused the value of the pound to plunge while borrowing costs spiked.

As the economy suffered, Truss' finance minister announced that the government would abandon the tax plan altogether, but some argued the Conservatives’power was abandonedwith it.

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Queen Elizabeth and British prime minister, Liz Truss, two days before she died.Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty

A leadership election to find her successor will be completed within the next week, Truss said, to “ensure that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.”

AsTheEconomistput it, Truss' popularity after coming to office didn’t last long, equating to “roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce.”

source: people.com