Live Update: Liz Truss resigns as U.K. prime minister after six weeks in office

LONDON – British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation Thursday after six turbulent weeks in office, making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.

Truss said his Conservative Party lawmakers will elect a new prime minister next week. But the process by which this decision will be taken is still unclear. The party is bitterly divided by warring centrist and right-wing factions, and there is no clear consensus candidate to take over.

U.K. Conservatives face a short list of

British Prime Minister Liz Truss does not have the confidence of her own party – let alone the nation. Since he took office on September 9, his massive fiscal plan has rocked the British economy, he has seen his polls dip to their worst in recorded history and his most controversial proposals have been overturned by a former rival.

But to replace Truss, Britain’s ruling Conservative Party has a weak array of options, each with its own flaws. Whatever happens will constitute a major turning point for the Tories, the party once led by the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill. The Conservatives have led the government since 2010.

A Boris Johnson comeback would be fantastic. It is not unusual for a politician to lead a political party more than once. Alex Salmond was SNP leader twice, both lasting a decade, and Nigel Farage led Ukip three times. But for Johnson to return so quickly, having been forced out so humiliatingly, would be surprising even by the standards of modern Tory politics.

A poll this week suggested he may be the most popular candidate with members. But he remains deeply unpopular with the electorate as a whole, and so the party will take considerable risks.

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