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
Body pulled from mine after police cut off supplies to ‘smoke out’ thousands of illegal miners
A body has been recovered from a South African mine after police cut off basic supplies in an effort to force around 4,000 illegal miners to resurface.
The body has emerged from the closed gold mine in the northwest town of Stilfontein a day after South Africa’s government said it would not help the illegal miners.
Around 20 people have surfaced from the mineshaft this week as police wait nearby to arrest all those appearing from underground.
It comes a day after a cabinet minister said the government was trying to “smoke them [the miners] out”.
The move is part of the police’s “Close the Hole” operation, whereby officers cut off supplies of food, water and other basic necessities to get those who have entered illegally to come out.
Local reports suggest the supply routes were cut off at the mine around two months ago, with relatives of the miners seen in the area as the stand-off continues.
Relatives of miners and community members wait at the mine shaft. Pic: AP
A decomposed body was brought up on Thursday, with pathologists on the scene, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.
It comes after South African cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters on Wednesday that the government would not send any help to the illegal miners, known in the country as zama zamas, because they are involved in a criminal act.
“We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped; criminals are to be prosecuted. We didn’t send them there,” Ms Ntshavheni said.
An aerial view of a mineshaft. Pic: AP
Senior police and defence officials are expected to visit the area on Friday to “reinforce the government’s commitment to bringing this operation to a safe and lawful conclusion”, according to a media advisory from the police.
In the last few weeks, over 1,000 miners have surfaced at various mines in South Africa’s North West province, where police have cut off supplies.
Many of the miners were reported to be weak, hungry and sickly after going for weeks without basic supplies.
Illegal mining remains common in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, with miners going into closed shafts to dig for any possible remaining deposits.
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Relatives of miners and community members wait near the mine shaft. Pic: AP
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The illegal miners are often from neighbouring countries, and police say the illegal operations involve larger syndicates that employ the miners.
Their presence in closed mines has also created problems with nearby communities, which complain that the illegal miners commit crimes ranging from robberies to rape.
Illegal mining groups are known to be heavily armed and disputes between rival groups sometimes result in fatal confrontations.
World
Ukrainian frontline commander warns: ‘The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem’
In the courtyard of a farmhouse now home to soldiers of the Ukrainian army’s 47th mechanised brigade, I’m introduced to a weary-looking unit by their commander Captain Oleksandr “Sasha” Shyrshyn.
We are about 10km from the border with Russia, and beyond it lies the Kursk region Ukraine invaded in the summer – and where this battalion is now fighting.
The 47th is a crack fighting assault unit.
They’ve been brought to this area from the fierce battles in the country’s eastern Donbas region to bolster Ukrainian forces already here.
War latest: Russia ready to carry out ‘massive attack’
The captain known by his men as ‘Genius’
In the summer, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russian territory, in Kursk
Captain Shyrshyn explains that among the many shortages the military has to deal with, the lack of infantry is becoming a critical problem.
Sasha is just 30 years old, but he is worldly-wise. He used to run an organisation helping children in the country’s east before donning his uniform and going to war.
He is famous in Ukraine and is regarded as one of the country’s top field commanders, who isn’t afraid to express his views on the war and how it’s being waged.
His nom de guerre is ‘Genius’, a nickname given to him by his men.
Captain Sasha Shyrshyn and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay
‘Don’t worry, it’s not a minefield’
Sasha invited me to see one of the American Bradley fighting vehicles his unit uses.
We walk down a muddy lane before he says it’s best to go cross-country.
“We can go that way, don’t worry it’s not a minefield,” he jokes.
He leads us across a muddy field and into a forest where the vehicle is hidden from Russian surveillance drones that try to hunt both American vehicles and commanders.
Sasha shows me a picture of the house they had been staying in only days before – it was now completely destroyed after a missile strike.
Fortunately, neither he, nor any of his men, were there at the time.
“They target commanders,” he says with a smirk.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
‘The world is scared of Russia’
It takes me a moment or two to realise we are only a few steps away from the Bradley, dug in and well hidden beneath the trees.
The disguised American Bradley vehicle hidden in the forest
Sasha tells me the Bradley is the finest vehicle he has ever used.
A vehicle so good, he says, it’s keeping the Ukrainian army going in the face of Russia’s overwhelming numbers of soldiers.
He explains: “Almost all our work on the battlefield is cooperation infantry with the Bradley. So we use it for evacuations, for moving people from one place to another, as well as for fire-covering.
“This vehicle is very safe and has very good characteristics.”
The American Bradley fighting vehicle that Ukrainian soldiers have found vital in their efforts
Billions of dollars in military aid has been given to Ukraine by the United States, and this vehicle is one of the most valuable assets the US has provided.
Ukraine is running low on men to fight, and the weaponry it has is not enough, especially if it can’t fire long-range missiles into Russia itself – which it is currently not allowed to do.
If President-elect Donald Trump cuts the supply of military aid, the Ukrainians will lose – it’s that simple.
US President-elect Donald Trump has been clear he intends to change his nation’s policy on the war in Ukraine. Pic: Reuters
Sasha says: “We have a lack of weapons, we have a lack of artillery, we have a lack of infantry, and as the world doesn’t care about justice, and they don’t want to finish the war by our win, they are afraid of Russia.
“I’m sorry but they’re scared, they’re scared, and it’s not the right way.”
Like pretty much everyone in Ukraine, Sasha is waiting to see what the US election result will mean for his country.
He is sceptical about a deal with Russia.
“Our enemy only understands the language of power. And you cannot finish the war in 24 hours, or during the year without hard decisions, without a fight, so it’s impossible. It’s just talking without results,” he tells me.
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‘Losing will be not only our problem’
These men expect the fierce battles inside Kursk to intensify in the coming days.
Indeed, alongside the main supply route into Kursk, workers are already building new defensive positions – unfurling miles of razor wire and digging bunkers for the Ukrainian army if it finds itself in retreat.
Barbed wire rolled out in the Sumy region ahead of expected fighting
Tank traps in the Sumy region
Sasha and his men are realistic about support fatigue from the outside world but will keep fighting to the last if they have to.
“I understand this is only our problem, it’s only our issue, and we have to fight this battle, like we have to defend ourselves, it’s our responsibility,” Sasha said.
But he points out everyone should realise just how critical this moment in time is.
“If we look at it widely, we have to understand that us losing will be not only our problem, but it will be for all the world.”
Stuart Ramsay reports from northeastern Ukraine with camera operator Toby Nash, and producers Dominique Van Heerden, Azad Safarov, and Nick Davenport.
A weather warning has been issued for parts of Spain, as the country counts the cost of recent flooding.
The orange warnings are in place for parts of southwestern Spain – the area around Seville down towards Gibraltar.
Up to 8cm (3ins) of rain could fall within 12 hours, but the weekend looks much more settled in the country.
The latest warnings come just two weeks after flash flooding in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 200 people.
Malaga saw 14.2cm (5.6ins) of rainfall on Wednesday – Spain’s highest of the day – most of which fell in six hours.
All train services were halted in Malaga. Some flights have now resumed after the initial disruption.
Pic: Jamie Marchant
Emergency services in the province have moved 3,000 people from homes at risk of flooding close to the Guadalhorce River in the west of the city.
Jamie Marchant, 29, from Caerphilly in South Wales travelled to Malaga last Wednesday.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
He told Sky News that “debris” had been left behind by the recent rainfall in the region.
“Everyone is pitching in to clean up and some shops are opening as usual,” he added.
Orange warnings for the Valencia region in eastern Spain expired earlier on Thursday.
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The adverse weather could lead to total insured losses of more than €4bn (£3.33bn), according to credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS.
Much of the claims are expected to be covered by the Spanish government’s insurance pool, the agency said, but insurance premiums are likely to increase.
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