LIZ Truss has dramatically RESIGNED as Prime Minister after just 44 days in office – but it’s left Brits confused as to what happens next.
Here we explain whether or not there could be an early general election…
Liz Truss dramatically resigned today
How often is a general election?
General elections normally take place every five years, however, sometimes a Parliament might ask the monarchy to dissolve the current office or the monarch decides to do so, meaning it could be sooner.
The last general election was called in December 2019, as Boris Johnson called one early.
What happens now?
In an address to the nation this afternoon, the PM confirmed their will be a leadership election “in the next week”.
She said: “I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elect and told King Charles I am resigning.”
Will there be an early general election?
Sitting Prime Ministers have the power to call a general election early if they choose.
There must be 25 days notice for an election, so candidates can go into campaign mode.
In order for this to happen, Parliament is dissolved and major Government business suspended.
That means the latest the next contest could be announced is December 29, 2024.
If no earlier election is called, the current parliament will be the first since 2015 to complete a full term.
A provisional date of Thursday, May 2, 2024, has been given for the next general election.
The last election was won by the Conservatives with a 364-seat majority, this has dropped to 358 seats since the by-election losses.
The Labour party are pushing for an immediate general election in the wake of Liz Truss’s resignation.
Keir Starmer today ranted: “The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern.
“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.”
