A top Conservative lawmaker has warned that Prime Minister Liz Truss had “12 hours” to preserve her career as her government slid into fresh disarray.
Simon Hoare stated that he believes today and tomorrow are crucial days.
Cabinet ministers are rallying around Ms. Truss, but an increasing number of her MPs believe she has reached the end of her tenure.
Wednesday’s vote in the House of Commons and the resignation of the home secretary thwarted her efforts to regain her power.
All eyes will be on Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 committee, who could inform Ms. Truss that she no longer has the backing of her MPs if a sufficient number of them sign letters urging her to go.
Mr. Hoare stated that “pessimism is rising in all sides of the Conservative party.”
“Usually it’s one or the other, so having it throughout the entire party should raise red flags,” he added.
There are also rumors that senior party members could agree on a replacement for Ms. Truss, thereby avoiding the necessity for another Tory leadership campaign or a general election.
However, the various sections of the party are divided over who should assume the position.
Twelve Conservative MPs have asked for the prime minister’s resignation thus far.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the secretary of transport, stated that the cabinet still has faith in Ms. Truss.
However, in response to a query on the Today show, Ms. Trevelyan declined to confirm if Liz Truss will lead the Conservatives into the next election.
She stated, “I want her to continue delivering the extremely essential work we’re doing.”
Ms. Truss is striving to reassert her authority following another day of turbulence that began when she suspended a senior aide, Jason Stein, who is under investigation for leaking material to the media.
Suella Braverman then resigned as home secretary due to data leaks and policy differences regarding immigration. Ms. Braverman attacked the leadership of Ms. Truss in her resignation letter.
Ms. Braverman was replaced by Grant Shapps, one of the prime minister’s fiercest internal opponents, whom she had fired six weeks earlier as transport secretary.
An attempt by the Labour party to pass a law prohibiting fracking wreaked havoc among the Conservatives.
MPs were threatened with removal from the party if they did not support the government, even though many of them opposed fracking fiercely.
The Commons is in a “mess”
Before they voted, climate minister Graham Stuart informed them that it would not be considered a vote of confidence in Ms. Truss, which some interpreted to indicate they could support the Labour resolution without fear of being fired.
This resulted in tumultuous scenes as cabinet officials faced lawmakers who wanted to vote for a ban on fracking by ordering them to vote with the administration.
The speaker of the House of Commons has opened an investigation into allegations that Conservative ministers bullied and mistreated members of parliament in the voting lobbies.
For several hours, it was unclear whether or not Wendy Morton, the government’s chief whip and the person responsible for ensuring that members of parliament vote as instructed, had quit.
Overnight, the government issued a statement confirming that Ms. Morton will remain in her position and that the fracking vote was always a vote of confidence in the Prime Minister.
The government stated that Tory lawmakers who supported Labour’s resolution to ban fracking, which was defeated by the government, would suffer “proportional disciplinary action.”
Sir Charles Walker, a member of the Conservative Party, was “enraged” by the “chaos” on Wednesday night and said that there was “no turning back” for the government.
Later, he added, “I anticipate the prime minister to resign very soon since she is unqualified for her position.”
Some Conservative MPs stated that Sir Charles spoke on their behalf.
When asked on Thursday if the government was fully functional, Kemi Badenoch stated, “It’s fairly evident that there’s quite a bit of upheaval within the party.
The Secretary of International Trade continued, “What we all need to do is maintain composure and seek to find a solution, and I am convinced that we can.”
Crispin Blunt, a member of the Conservative Party, stated that Ms. Truss’s position is “completely untenable.”
“I would be astounded if she did not comprehend it,” he remarked.
Peter Aldous, the Conservative representative for Waveney, stated that the “window of opportunity” for Ms. Truss to win his trust is “rapidly closing if it hasn’t already passed entirely.”
Mr. Aldous stated last night in the voting lobbies there was “escalation and rage” towards the government.
Mr. Aldous stated that Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are the most likely successors if the Prime Minister resigns.
