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Diane Abbott has demanded a general election after embattled Liz Truss resigned as PM today. The Labour MP took to Twitter on Thursday evening to make a parting swipe at the outgoing Prime Minister.
Ms Abbott said: “I have never known a Prime Minister so humiliated. Never seen one who deserved it more. Time for #GeneralElection2022.”
It comes as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also called for an immediate general election following Ms Truss’s resignation announcement.
Sir Keir said: “After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos.”
He added: “There is an alternative and that’s a stable Labour government and the public are entitled to have their say and that’s why there should be a general election.”
The Labour leader insisted his party was ready for the country to go to the polls.
Sir Keir told the BBC’s Newscast podcast: “There’s a manifesto that is going to be ready whenever an election is called.
“I’ve had a team working on that. I’ve had a team working on general election preparedness. We’ve moved our teams on to a general election footing.
“And I’ve got in place all the grids I need for a general election. So we’re very, very prepared should there be a general election.”
It comes as the Tory leadership race to replace Ms Truss in Number 10 kicked off tonight with the winner set to be crowned next Friday.
Speculation is high that Boris Johnson will make a spectacular comeback in what could be a nightmare for Labour after he led the Conservatives to their biggest landslide in decades in the 2019 election.
The former premier’s allies were quick to say he was the best choice to lead the party out of its current difficulties.
Mr Johnson will need the support of at least 100 MPs in the leadership contest.
Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries told Sky News: “He is a known winner and that is certainly who I’m putting my name against because I want us to win the general election. Having a winner in place is what the party needs to survive.”
Ms Truss is set to become the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history after she faced an open revolt from Conservative MPs demanding her departure in the wake of economic turmoil sparked by the September mini-budget, which spooked financial markets with its unfunded tax cuts.
Speaking outside Downing Street this afternoon, she said: “I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.”
Ms Truss’s resignation comes just over 24 hours after insisting she was “a fighter, not a quitter” during a bruising Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
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