UK: Over 50% Tory members want PM Truss to quit
The United Kingdom appears to be in the midst of yet another political crisis, with Conservative Party MPs publicly demanding Prime Minister Liz Truss's resignation. Meanwhile, the latest survey by YouGov revealed that most Tory party members want Truss to resign while 55% of them support Indian-origin former counselor Rishi Sunak as the next PM if elections were held right now.
Why does this story matter?
Truss took over as Prime Minister last month, amid a grave economic and energy crisis in the country. Over the previous three weeks, she has faced criticism for her proposed tax cuts and an energy assistance scheme to avert market upheaval. She even had to reverse certain financial projections. Truss is now facing mounting pressure to resign as Prime Minister.
What did the poll reveal?
The YouGov Political Research snap survey of Conservative Party members indicates strong buyer's remorse about the party's choice to elect Truss as the leader in September, AFP reported. A majority of members (55%) say Truss should quit as party leader and PM following a series of U-turns, while just 38% feel she should remain, according to YouGov.
Ex-PM Johnson a popular replacement: YouGov poll
According to reports, the YouGov survey has put the scandal-hit former Prime Minister Boris Johnson as the most popular choice to take over the top job in the UK. He has been favored by 63% as a good replacement, with 32% putting him as their top candidate, followed by Sunak at 23% and 10% for Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
'Only 15% of Conservative members praised her work'
Almost 83% of Conservative members, including 72% of those who supported Truss in the leadership contest that resulted in her victory last month, believe she is doing a poor job as prime minister. Only 15% believe she is doing well.
Went too far, too fast: Truss backtracks on tax reforms
After a series of sudden tax reforms worsened the economic turmoil, Truss on Monday apologized for going "too far, too fast" with the same. This came after a decline in investor confidence, following which the newly-appointed Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt scrapped Truss's plans for reforms. She also dismissed allegations of being a puppet figure and said she was "sticking around."
What exactly did she say?
"I do want to accept responsibility and say sorry for the mistakes that have been made. I wanted to act to help people with their energy bills to deal with the issue of high taxes, but we went too far and too fast," Truss said.
Tory MPs ask Truss to quit
On Monday, Sir Charles Walker became the fifth Tory MP to call for Truss's resignation. "She [Truss] has put colleagues, the country, through a huge amount of unnecessary pain and upset and worry. We don't need a disruptor in No 10. We need an uniter," Walker told Sky News. Earlier, Angela Richardson, Jamie Wallis, Crispin Blunt, and Andrew Bridgen voiced similar concerns.
