Labour figures in the North East have condemned the “Tory horror show” that led Liz Truss to quit as Prime Minister, as demands for a general election grow.
Her resignation came after just 44 chaotic days in 10 Downing Street marked by economic turmoil and revolt within the Conservative Party, a rapid political collapse that will make her the shortest serving Prime Minister in history. Ms Truss admitted on Thursday afternoon that she “cannot deliver the mandate” given to her by Tory members just over six weeks ago and announced that a successor will be chosen in the next week, with the party now set to conduct a rapid leadership contest.
As the Conservatives prepare to move onto a third Prime Minister governing on a mandate won by Boris Johnson in December 2019, Labour has insisted that a general election must be called. Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah said:"After 12 years of Tory failure, the people of Newcastle deserve so much better than a revolving door of Conservative chaos.
Read More: What happens next as Liz Truss resigns as UK Prime Minister less than two months after taking charge
"Mortgage payments soaring, energy prices rising, and the North East becoming the child poverty capital of the country. All at the hands of the Tories. Crisis after crisis – created in Downing Street. The people of Newcastle are paying the price for Tory incompetence. The British public deserve a proper say on the country's future. We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election - now."
Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery called the chaos in government a “total mess” and said it was “time for a general election and to consign the Tories and their failed economic model to the dustbin of history”. North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll accused the Tories of having “lowered living standards, crippled our public services and brought chaos to Britain” over 12 years in power, while Newcastle City Council leader Nick Kemp said that an election “must be a political priority”.
But one local Conservative said it was the “wrong time” for a general election and urged his party to unite behind whoever the new PM is – with Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, and even a return for Mr Johnson touted as likely candidates.
Andrew Burnett, chairman of the Newcastle Conservatives, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “What we need is to come together with some unity. Whoever gets this job, everyone just needs to get behind them regardless of what their thoughts are. Everyone needs to come together and stop all this fighting against each other. That is the only way we can move forward.”
Sean Brockbank, who chairs the North Tyneside Conservative Federation, said it was "to her credit" that the Prime Minister resigned after losing the faith of her party, adding: "I commend her for listening."
Richard Holden, the Conservative MP for North West Durham and a backer of Mr Sunak, told the BBC that "we have to have economic competence at the heart of whatever comes next" - and rejected calls for an election, saying that it is MPs and not any Prime Minister that holds the public mandate. Citing examples of changing occupants in Number 10 in the same government cycle, he said: "The Labour government before Mrs T, Mrs T herself changing to John Major, Blair to Brown, Cameron to May - this is a Parliamentary system, this is the system we have in the UK."
Mr Holden added: "It is totally functioning now. You can see the system works, right? We are here, we are going to have a government in place next week with a new Prime Minister who will be leading that government."
Kim McGuinness, Labour’s Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, said that the UK “has had to watch the Tory horror show for too long now”. She added: “A decision by the Tories to appoint another unelected prime minister when they have clearly lost the faith of the country is an insult to the people. They do not have a god-given right to govern. It is time the people had their say.”
Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle North, said: “We cannot continue to live this Conservative psychodrama, the uncertainty and chaos is holding our country back as we face cost of living, energy and climate crises and Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. People have lost trust in the Conservative Party, more interested in internal division than meeting the challenges we face. It’s time people had their say on the future direction of our country in a general election.”
John McCabe, chief executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, said Ms Truss' exist presented an "opportunity for a reset" and called for her successor to be chosen " in a calm, decisive and unified manner that puts the national interest first".
He added: "For businesses, the workers and the communities they support that means three things: a clear and consistent plan on energy costs, a sensible approach to managing the causes and effects of inflation, and targeted, meaningful support for the most vulnerable. As we have always said the cost of living crisis and cost of doing business crisis are two sides of the same coin and both need action now.
“The country has paid a high price for the instability and uncertainty of the last six weeks. It’s vital those with the mandate to govern renew our trust and belief that they can.”
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