Liz Truss has resigned as Prime Minister sparking further calls for a General Election. 

She is set to become the shortest-serving Prime Minister in history after she announced her resignation on Thursday, October 20.

Labour, the SNP, the Greens and Liberal Democrats have renewed calls for another election despite the PM announcing that a new leadership race will take place this week. 

The British public has begun asking whether a general election will take place in the near future, who will run in the race and who they will vote for. 

Liz Truss announces her resignation as Prime Minister

Will there be a general election as Liz Truss resigns?

In order for there to be an election at least two-thirds of MPs must vote for one as per the 2011 Fixed-Term Parliament Act.

If MPs vote to hold an early general election, the country would go to the polls at some point in the near future, giving registered voters the chance to have their say.

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Recent polling suggests that the Conservatives are likely to be wiped out in a future election, seeing Labour gain a supermajority not seen in modern British political history.

Who is the current leader of the Labour Party and what are Labour's Policies?

The current leader of the Labour Party is Sir Keir Starmer.

The MP for Holborn and St Pancras since 2015 has served as the leader of the opposition since 2020.

Before his political career, Sir Keir worked as a barrister, was appointed as Queen's Counsel in 2002 and was later knighted in the Queen's New Year's Eve honours in 2014.

Labour recently held its party conference where it outlined its policies.

The Labour Leader wants to:

  • End UK dependence on fossil fuels and achieve zero carbon energy by 2030
  • Introduce a domestic abuse register
  • Implement the 'Fair Work Standard' to guarantee adequate working conditions in the public sector
  • Extend statutory maternity leave
  • Recruit 6,500 new teachers
  • Reform social care in 10 year plan
  • Implement NHS national target on mental health waiting lists
  • Make Brexit work

Learn more about Labour's policies via the Labour Party website.

Who is the current leader of the Liberal Democrats and what are Lib Dem's policies?

The current leader of the Liberal Democrats is Sir Ed Davey.

The MP for Kingston and Surbiton from 2015 (and 1997-2015) became the party leader in 2020.

His political career includes serving as the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change under the Cameron–Clegg coalition and as Deputy Leader to Jo Swinson in 2019.

The Lib Dems are a centrist to centre-left political party that was founded on liberalism and social democracy. 

The party champions policies on human rights, internationalism and environmentalism. 

It has recently been campaigning against lifting the ban on fracking amid the energy crisis in UK households. 

You can read more about the Lib Dem's policies via the Liberal Democrat's website.

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Who will be the next leader of the Conservative party and what are the Torys' policies?

Following Liz Truss's resignation, the early frontrunner to replace her is the former chancellor Rishi Sunak. 

Other political figures that have been dubbed as many contenders include Penny Mourdant, Ben Wallace and Boris Johnson. 

You can see the full odds and an explanation of the Conservative leadership contest here.

As a party, the Conservatives value free markets, enterprise and industry as well as pursuing Brexit and upholding the Union. 

You can read the party's full manifesto and more detail about policies via the Conservative Party website.

Who is the current leader of the Green party and what are the Green's policies?

The co-leaders of the Green Party of England and Wales are Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay who were elected in October 2021.

The party currently has one representative in the House of Commons and two in the House of Lords.

The Greens have recently backed a campaign to end the privatisation of the NHS and has criticised the ban on solar farm ban on English farmland and the expansion of North Sea oil and gas. 

You can read more about the Green Party's policies via the Green Party website.

Who is the leader of Reform UK and what are Reform's policies?

Richard Tice is the leader of the right-wing political party Reform UK, a party that was originally set up as the Brexit Party in 2018.

Tice was CEO of the real estate group CLS Holdings before going on to be the founder and co-chairman of the pro-Brexit campaign groups Leave.EU and Leave Means Leave.

Reform UK, as it was renamed in 2021, endorses a hard Eurosceptic stance.

Its other policies include reforming the economy by keeping taxes low to encourage growth as well as reforming institutions like the BBC, the House of Lords and the civil service. 

You can read more about Reform UK's policies via its website.