離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Truss resigns as PM after tax-cut plan backfires
British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation in Downing Street in London yesterday. Photo: AP
/ Agencies
Liz Truss quit as British prime minister after a brief and chaotic tenure that saw her announce a massive package of tax cuts before unwinding most of it in the face of a market rout.
Truss, 47, said she was resigning after just 44 days in office and is set to become the shortest-ruling prime minister in British history.
She said the Conservative Party aims to choose her successor within a week and that she would stay on as prime minister until then.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, whose party has surged in opinion polls on the back of Truss’ short, crisis-plagued tenure, demanded a general election “now.”
The Conservative Party “has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern,” he said.
“After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos,” he added.
The White House said the US would have a close relationship with whomever replaces Truss.
French President Emmanuel Macron wished the UK a rapid return to stability following Truss’ resignation.
Candidates to replace her are likely to include former British chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak — runner-up to Truss in this summer’s leadership contest.
Other contenders also likely to be in the fray include Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and Kemi Badenoch. Former British home secretary Suella Braverman, who resigned on Wednesday, might also be in the running.
British Secretary of Defence Ben Wallace is also often touted as a potential candidate, although he has downplayed his interest.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, promoted from the back benches after Truss sacked former chancellor of the exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng in a bid to restore calm in the markets, has ruled himself out, his spokeswoman said.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
