Brits face uncertain future as Truss quits, too

Westminster is braced for yet another whirlwind week after the chaotic political demise of Prime Minister Liz Truss, who tendered her resignation on Thursday after just six weeks in office. The Conservative Party is gearing up to choose a new leader by October 28. The next prime minister would be Britain's third this year and the fifth in six years. 

Political commentators may be excited to watch as all-too-familiar front-runners vie yet again for the top job in British politics. But all jokes aside about the livestreamed lettuce in a wig that managed to outlast Truss, the country is in dangerous waters: It faces a cost of living crisis and serious financial turmoil, for a start. 

Members of the British public who spoke with DW in London on Friday seem far from thrilled at the prospect of more political jockeying. Instead, they expressed a mixture of anger, resignation and amusement in the wake of Truss's resignation.

"Well, I think my first words were: 'Oh for God's sake!'" Louise, 52 years old and from the English town of Rugby, told DW at Euston train station. "But I think she had to go, didn't she?"

"Diabolical," said John Dixon, 60 years old and from the Cumbria region. "At the moment we're a laughingstock worldwide," the Conservative voter said.

More irreverent was Adam Sinclair, a 55-year-old researcher. "It's all a bit f**ked," he told DW, sitting on a bench outside the Houses of Parliament. A Brit who lives in Australia, Sinclair laughed, but stressed that he is also concerned about the rising costs his family members in the United Kingdom face.

Conservative 'soap opera'

It is unclear what might follow the selection of the new Conservative leader. All opposition parties are calling for a general election, with Labour leader Keir Starmer slamming the Tory struggles as a "soap opera." 

But the Conservatives are currently polling at their lowest in British history, thanks to months of scandals, culminating in Truss' unfunded plan to cut taxes, which caused a run on the British pound and damaged UK pension funds. Public borrowing costs are also on the rise, linked to spooked international markets.

Despite questions about the legitimacy of choosing yet another premier without heading to the ballot boxes, the Conservatives don't have much incentive to call an election immediately. Constitutionally speaking, they can wait until 2024.

"The majority of Conservative members of parliament would lose their seats," Dominic Abrams, a professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent, told DW via email. "It would serve their party interests to wait as long as possible in the hope of clawing back some of their lost public support."

The question, of course, is whether the public will accept this. In the past few days, more than 300,000 people have signed an online petition calling for a general election. The left-wing People's Assembly campaign has called for a protest on November 5, or Guy Fawkes Night, a date associated with anti-government uprising in British history.

Widespread financial woes

Abrams isn't sure whether the current crisis will be met with a wave of demonstrations. "In the UK mass protests are relatively rare and are generally quite polite, but this is in part because there are other routes for voicing opinion," he wrote.

What is certain is that disillusionment is already widespread. "Trust in political leadership and national level politics is extremely low," Abrams said.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is working on a new fiscal statement in the wake of the now-abandoned "minibudget" that triggered the prime minister's demise. Whether it will be enough to start restoring the faith of the international markets and domestic calm remains to be seen.

Angela, a resident of Croydon in south London, told DW at Euston that she didn't think it would make any difference. "I've lost interest basically, because I can't see that they're helping the man on the street." She declined to give her full name or age, saying only that she was over 50.

"People are suffering too much, lower-paid people," Angela said. "The issue is that a certain percentage of the population is overlooked," she said. Existing aid for energy bills is "just a drop in the ocean."

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, an anti-poverty organization, said deprivation had been deepening in the past decade in the United Kingdom. This year, key warning signs such as food bank use, the number of people sleeping rough and even malnutrition in hospitals are up, the charity has warned. 

High energy bills and newly increased mortgage payments for many people are squeezing the middle classes, too.

Dixon, the Cumbrian company director at Euston, said stabilizing the economy and protecting pensions ought to be major priorities for the next leader. "God knows what my pension plan looks like at this moment in time. I daren't even phone my financial adviser," he said.

Angela from Croydon isn't hopeful for life after Truss: "I don't think it's gonna make any difference to what's going on in the country. I think it's just gonna be another crisis."

Edited by: Milan Gagnon