Many factors combined to cause Liz Truss’s demise but it was a night of chaos in the British parliament that triggered her resignation.
Events in the House of Commons on October 19 made it clear that the prime minister had lost control. Conservative MPs were called into a vote that was ostensibly about fracking but may or may not have been a vote of confidence in Liz Truss’s government. Accusations were made that Conservative whips behaved inappropriately in order to get their MPs to vote with the government.
How did such confusion come about and is this a standard part of whipping operations in parliament? Key questions answered below.
