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Speaking upon arrival at the European Council Summit in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped the UK finds stability “as soon as possible”. “We want, above all else, stability,” he said.
Reacting to the news Prime Minister Liz Truss had just resigned in a statement from Downing Street, Mr Macron said that “on a personal level, I am always sad to see a colleague go”.
Pressed again on the issue, the French leader reiterated: “I will not comment on internal politics, but I had very good meetings and exchanges with Truss.
“France wants the stability of the UK, especially in a war context that is so difficult. It is vital that the UK finds stability. Personally, I think it’s sad to see a colleague leave.”
Refusing to comment on Ms Truss’ resignation, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Today is the European Council Summit, so I will only comment on that.”
Liz Truss has announced her resignation after a chaotic 44 days in office during which she lost the confidence of Tory MPs and the public and oversaw economic turbulence.
She is set to become the shortest-serving Prime Minister in history after she battled an open revolt from Conservatives demanding her departure.
Speaking from a lectern in Downing Street, Ms Truss said she had told the King she was resigning as the leader of the Conservative Party as she recognised she “cannot deliver the mandate” that Tory members gave her little over six weeks ago.
She held talks with the chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives Sir Graham Brady and agreed to a fresh leadership election “to be completed within the next week”.
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Without a general election, the Conservatives will be on their third prime minister on the mandate won by Boris Johnson in December 2019.
Sir Keir said: “The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern.
“The British public deserve a proper say on the country’s future. They must have the chance to compare the Tories’ chaos with Labour’s plans to sort out their mess, grow the economy for working people and rebuild the country for a fairer, greener future.
“We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election – now.”
Ms Truss’s resignation came just a little over 24 hours after she told MPs she was “a fighter, not a quitter”.
But her odds of survival were slashed after chaotic scenes in the Commons followed the resignation of Suella Braverman as home secretary.
The number of Tory MPs publicly demanding Ms Truss’s resignation doubled before lunch was over on Thursday, taking the total to 15, but a far greater number were privately agitating for her exit.
The mechanism of how the next leader – and Prime Minister – will be chosen was unclear.
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