Liz Truss’s tenure as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister came to an end on Tuesday, after 49 days in office.
Truss lost the top job after she tried to cut taxes for high-earners and corporations without a plan to pay for it. Markets reeled, and she backpedaled, but she couldn’t save her premiership.
Liz Truss hosted a final cabinet meeting on Tuesday and then made brief farewell remarks outside Downing 10 street before she submitted her resignation to King Charles III.
“It has been a huge honor to be prime minister of this great country in particular to lead the nation in mourning the death of the late her majesty the queen after 70 years of service and welcoming the ascension of his majesty King Charles III ”, Truss said.
Truss said she still believed in high-wage, high-economy growth. “From my time as prime minister, I’m more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges we face. As the Roman philosopher, Seneca wrote, ‘it is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it’s because we do not dare, that they are difficult.’ “
“We simply cannot afford to be a low-growth country where the government takes up increasing shares of our national wealth and where there are huge divides between different parts of the country. We need to take advantage of our Brexit freedoms to do things differently. This means delivering more freedom for our own citizens and restoring power to our democratic institutions.
It means lower taxes so our people can keep more of the money they earn. And it means delivering growth that will lead to more job security, higher wages, and more opportunities for our children and grandchildren”.
Truss said Britain will continue to support Ukraine, “ and now more than ever we must support Ukraine in their brave fight against Putin’s aggression. Ukraine must prevail, and we must continue to strengthen our nation’s defenses, that’s what I have been striving to achieve and I wish Rishi every success”.
She closed with, “We continue to battle through a storm, but I believe in Britain, I believe in the British people and I know brighter days lie ahead.”
Then she was driven in a motorcade to Birmingham palace, and she resigned in person to King Charles III.
