Truss in numbers: What did the prime minister accomplish during her time in office?
Liz Truss is set to be the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.
She said she will remain in office until a successor is chosen.
The results of that leadership election will be announced on Friday next week, so Ms Truss’s tenure will be shorter than previous the record holder George Canning – a record that he held for almost 200 years.
Mr Canning’s 1827 premiership lasted just 118 days, cut short by his death from tuberculosis. When Ms Truss leaves office next Friday she will have lasted 66 days fewer.
Despite being the shortest-serving prime minister, the death of the Queen two days after she started means Ms Truss is the first in 70 years to serve under two different monarchs.
Public opinion
One of the reasons for Ms Truss’s rapid departure is because of her party’s position in the polls since she took office.
Labour’s lead over the Conservatives has not been higher since January 1998, shortly after Tony Blair became prime minister.
If an election was held today, polls suggest that more than half of people in the UK would back Sir Keir Starmer’s party while fewer than a quarter would vote Conservative.
Ms Truss’s personal approval rating became very low, very quickly, reaching -51 on 8 October. Just 16% of people said they were satisfied with her performance, while 67% said they were unsatisfied.
That’s worse than the levels ever reached by Boris Johnson, despite his longer time in power. It’s the lowest rating since Gordon Brown reached the same level in July 2008 during the depths of the financial crisis.
Political instability
The prime minister’s six weeks in office were defined by political turmoil and the resignation of her two most senior ministers.
Kwasi Kwarteng’s resignation after just 38 days in the Treasury makes him the second shortest-serving chancellor since 1945.
And when Suella Braverman resigned on Wednesday she became only the second home secretary to serve for fewer than 50 days since the office was established in 1782.
Changes in personnel during Ms Truss’s short time in office were matched by frequent changes in policy.
Taking office on 6 September, her first day, Liz Truss said that her priorities would be growing the economy through “tax cuts and reform”, dealing “hands on” with the energy crisis, and improving access to the NHS.
Though her premiership was brief, Ms Truss and her first chancellor, Mr Kwarteng, announced a number of significant tax cuts and a major package of support to help households cope with the energy crisis.
Her legacy will be more limited, however, as on Monday Ms Truss’s second chancellor Jeremy Hunt cancelled nearly all of Mr Kwarteng’s tax-cutting measures, as well as his plans to extend the current energy price guarantee beyond April 2023.
What still remains of her policy announcements are a limited energy support package, the cancelled rise to National Insurance, the uplift to the stamp duty threshold, and the ability of bankers to receive bonuses more than double their salary.
Economic turmoil
Another big reason that Ms Truss was forced to resign was her impact on the economy.
Markets reacted negatively to the agenda she and Mr Kwarteng revealed on 23 September – to the policies themselves and the government’s decision not to submit it for scrutiny to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK’s independent fiscal watchdog.
The mini-budget’s negative reception among international investors led to a sharp fall in the value of the pound against the US dollar.
The exchange rate reached an all-time low of $1.03 to the pound on 26 September, three days after the mini-budget, before rallying over subsequent weeks thanks in part to a response by the Bank of England.
Market volatility and the possibility of a sharp increase in central bank interest rates also led to a surge in predicted interest rates.
Hundreds of mortgage products were withdrawn altogether by lenders, and borrowers on variable rates are facing the prospect of mortgage repayment rises of potentially hundreds or thousands of pounds a month.
Since Jeremy Hunt became chancellor, the predictions for next year have lowered slightly but are still higher than had been expected when Ms Truss became prime minister.
We’ve mentioned many issues caused by Ms Truss’s policies, but it is worth remembering that there are other problems in dire need of attention.
Given the chaos at Westminster in the weeks before Boris Johnson’s resignation three months ago, it’s difficult to argue that there has been an effective government in place in Britain since the summer.
The NHS treatment waiting list reached another record high in figures announced last week – one in eight people are now waiting for treatment.
People are waiting longer than ever for cancer care, for ambulances and in A&E, even before we get to the winter period when effective healthcare typically becomes even more difficult.
What have people been saying on social media?
One of the reasons some MPs were said to be reluctant to remove Liz Truss was that more political instability would mean more delays.
But some members of the public expressing their views on social media on Thursday didn’t seem too sorry to see her go.
The following mind maps were generated using data gathered by Talkwalker, a social listening company, based on Twitter, Tik Tok and YouTube posts from users in the UK.
In the past 24 hours (up to 4pm today), some of the most popular main phrases being posted about Liz Truss include “economic strain”, “desperate attempt”, “ordinary people” and “anti-democratic disgrace”.
Other slightly less frequent phrases include: “cold homes” (referring to concerns over heating costs), “utter chaos” and “dark days”.
What people were saying about Liz Truss when she became prime minister on 6 September. Sky News/Talkwalker
“Compassionate Conservatives” is also trending, but when looking at the posts in context they are overwhelmingly using this phrase with either sarcasm or to say the Conservatives are not compassionate.
It is a similar case with the phrase “huge congratulations”, with posters appearing to give sarcastic well-wishes to Ms Truss.
But how does this compare to Liz Truss’s first day in office?
Phrases on 6 September are much more varied and reflect a number of other issues in the news at the time, such as migrants crossing the channel in “small boats” and concerns around the energy crisis, the economic situation and poverty.
Phrases referring directly to Mrs Truss’s appointment as prime minister include both “bleak start” and “fresh start” (mostly people saying they believe Ms Truss is not a fresh start), as well as “low expectations”.
What people were saying about Liz Truss when she resigned as prime minister on 20 October. Sky News/Talkwalker
Some posts are positive, with some praising the prime minister’s handling of the media that day as a sign the country was in “safe hands”.
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News.
We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.
World
Bodies of two more Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas – but uncertainty over missing remains
The bodies of two more Israeli hostages have been handed over to the Red Cross by Hamas – but uncertainty still hangs over the fate of the missing remains of others.
Under the ceasefire agreement, all remaining 48 hostages, dead and alive, were supposed to be returned by this Monday.
So far, only the 20 living hostages have been returned, as well as seven dead hostages, according to Israel’s count, with two further bodies still being verified.
Just hours after today’s handover, the Israeli military said a tenth body previously turned over was not that of a hostage – and the confusion added to tensions over the fragile truce that has paused the two-year war.
What has Hamas said?
Hamas has previously said recovering the remaining bodies could take time, as not all burial sites are known.
Its armed wing put out a statement on Wednesday, saying it has returned all the bodies it could reasonably recover, but would require special equipment to hand over the remaining ones.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry said it received 45 more bodies of Palestinians from Israel, another step in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
Red Cross vehicles escort a truck transporting the bodies of Palestinian hostages. Pic: Reuters.
That brings to 90 the total number of bodies returned to Gaza for burial. The forensics team examining the remains claimed they showed signs of mistreatment.
Trump issues warning
The return of all the hostages is a key pillar of the deal agreed to by Israel and Hamas, heralded by US President Donald Trump as having brought “peace in the Middle East”.
Israel – which has freed around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of the peace deal – had already threatened to keep the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt closed on Wednesday, and limit aid entering Gaza, due to Hamas not returning all of the dead.
And in an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Mr Trump warned that Israel could resume the war if he feels Hamas is not upholding its end of the agreement.
“Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word,” he said.
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Trump: ‘If Hamas doesn’t disarm, we will disarm them’
From our experts:
Will Trump stay the course over Gaza?
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Since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023 – in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage – the two sides have been at war.
Nearly 68,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s subsequent offensive, according to the Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government in Gaza.
The ministry maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts – though the ministry does not say how many of those killed are combatants.
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Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons explains why tensions may begin to bubble
Similar incident in previous ceasefire
This is not the first time Hamas has returned a wrong body to Israel.
During a previous ceasefire, the group said it handed over the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, but testing in February 2025 showed that one of the bodies returned was identified as a Palestinian woman. Ms Bibas’ body was returned a day later.
Meanwhile, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem accused Israel of violating the deal with shootings on Tuesday in eastern Gaza City and the southern city of Rafah.
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Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said the military is operating along the deployment lines troops withdrew to under the deal, and he warned that anyone approaching the lines will be targeted, as happened on Tuesday with several militants.
Aid trickling in
The World Food Programme said its trucks began arriving in Gaza after the entrance of humanitarian aid was paused for two days due to the exchange on Monday and a Jewish holiday on Tuesday.
The timing of the scaled-up deliveries – which are also part of the ceasefire deal – had been called into question after Israel said on Tuesday that it would cut the number of trucks allowed into Gaza, saying Hamas was too slow to return the hostages’ bodies.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel enter Khan Yunis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip. Pic: AP
Abeer Etefa, spokesperson for the World Food Programme, lauded the trucks’ passage but said the situation remained unpredictable.
“We’re hopeful that access will improve in the coming days,” she said.
The Egyptian Red Crescent said 400 trucks carrying food, fuel and medical supplies were bound for Gaza on Wednesday.
Fifteen UK charities have launched a fresh appeal for donations to Gaza to address “catastrophic levels of need” in the devastated region.
The charities make up the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which has been raising millions for Gaza – where tens of thousands have been killed over the past two years of war – and the wider Middle East.
After the initial stage of a much-sought ceasefire deal aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza was agreed on by Israel and Hamas, aid has begun to trickle into the devastated region again.
According to the DEC, its charities and local partners have been scaling up their work in the Gaza Strip since the agreement took effect last week.
Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
It said lorries carrying food and other aid began to enter Gaza on Sunday, with the British Red Cross and Plan International UK among those confirming supplies had made it in.
After raising more than £50m since the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal was launched last October, the DEC is renewing calls for donations, saying £10 could provide blankets for two people, while £50 could provide emergency food for five families for one week.
Read more:
Trump warned plan for Gaza ‘doesn’t make sense’
Israel says no match for body handed over by Hamas
As goods are returning to Gaza’s markets, the DEC said, they are increasing cash assistance to help people buy essentials as they become more affordable.
They’re also distributing clean water, medicine, food, and nutrition support.
On its website, the DEC pointed to how famine was declared in Gaza City in August as it appealed for funds saying: “Your support can save lives.”
You can donate to the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal at dec.org.uk.
Donald Trump has refused to say if the CIA has the authority to assassinate Venezuela’s president, after approving covert operations in the country to tackle alleged drug trafficking.
The classified decision, first revealed by The New York Times, marks a significant escalation in efforts to pressure President Nicolas Maduro‘s regime.
Mr Trump said large amounts of drugs were entering the US from Venezuela, much of it trafficked by sea.
“We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” he said.
When asked why the coastguard wasn’t asked to intercept suspected drug trafficking boats, which has been a longstanding US practice, Mr Trump said the approach had been ineffective.
“I think Venezuela is feeling heat,” he said.
He declined to answer whether the CIA has the authority to execute Mr Maduro.
The US has offered a $50m (£37m) reward for information leading to his arrest, accusing him of connections to drug trafficking and criminal organisations – claims he denies.
President Nicolas Maduro. Pic: Reuters
Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday evening. Pic: Reuters
US targets ‘drug boats’
Mr Trump also alleged Venezuela had sent a significant number of prisoners, including individuals from mental health facilities, into the US, though he did not specify the border through which they reportedly entered.
On Tuesday, he announced America had targeted a small boat suspected of drug trafficking in waters off the Venezuelan coast, resulting in the deaths of six people.
According to the president’s post on social media, all those killed were aboard the vessel.
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Venezuela opposition leader wins Nobel Peace Prize
Footage of the strike was released by Donald Trump on social media. Pic: Truth Social
The incident marked the fifth such fatal strike in the Caribbean, as the Trump administration continues to classify suspected drug traffickers as unlawful combatants to be confronted with military force.
War secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the strike, according to Mr Trump, who released a video of the operation.
The black-and-white footage showed a small boat seemingly stationary on the water. It is struck by a projectile from above and explodes, then drifts while burning for several seconds.
Mr Trump said the “lethal kinetic strike” was in international waters and targeted a boat travelling along a well-known smuggling route.
There has also been a significant increase in US military presence in the southern Caribbean, with at least eight warships, a submarine, and F-35 jets stationed in Puerto Rico.
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