Prime Minister Liz Truss has just resigned as Prime Minister after 45 days in power, one of the quickest turns as leader of all time. Now, the Conservatives will be looking for a new leader - and yet again, as it stands today, only Tory MPs will be getting to vote as to who that party leader will be. Unfortunately, although many of us would like a say in who is running the country, it would be in the Conservatives' best interest to avoid a general election – although this is something the opposition, Labour, are calling for.
This all means that, should a general election remain off the table, that in a week's time we will see our third Prime Minister of the year move into 10 Downing Street.
In her 89-second-long speech, Truss said: "I recognise... given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party."
Experts are predicting that Rishi Sunak may run again, after coming a close second to Liz Truss during the last leadership election, along with Penny Mordaunt (who again stood for leader during the summer) and Ben Wallace, the defence secretary.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who you may remember from his stint as Health Secretary (during which he made himself incredibly unpopular with NHS staff - and junior doctors in particular), has already confirmed that he will not throw his hat in the ring.
Earlier today, Labour party leader Keir Starmer tweeted: "Britain can’t afford the Tories' chaos. My Labour government will provide the stability and leadership needed. For our economy. For growth. For working people. General Election, now."
The second shortest serving PM was George Canning, also the leader of the Conservative party, who managed a term of 119 days before his death in 1827.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
