The crisis ended Liz Truss's premiership after just 49 days, making her the shortest-serving UK prime minister in history.
Key Facts
- Truss's tenure in office
- 49 days
- Mini-budget delivered
- 23 September 2022
- Kwarteng dismissed
- 14 October 2022
- Braverman resignation date
- 19 October 2022
- MPs calling for resignation by 17 Oct
- 5 Conservative MPs
- Successor
- Rishi Sunak, ran unopposed
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget of 23 September 2022, officially titled 'The Growth Plan', was received negatively by global financial markets. This triggered a credibility crisis for the Truss government, leading to Kwarteng's dismissal on 14 October and mounting pressure on Truss to reverse her economic agenda.
The crisis intensified on 19 October when Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned over a Ministerial Code breach and issued a critical resignation letter. That same evening, a chaotic Commons vote on a Labour fracking motion—confused by speculation that the chief whip and deputy chief whip had resigned—further eroded Conservative MPs' confidence in Truss's leadership.
Truss announced her resignation on 20 October 2022 and left office on 25 October. Rishi Sunak succeeded her after running unopposed in the subsequent Conservative Party leadership election. Truss's 49-day tenure became the shortest of any UK prime minister on record.