Conservatives face a snap leadership election

The differences on immigration, benefits, Brexit, NHS, legitimate rights, essentially the policy mix, will continue to unbalance the party whoever Truss' successor is.

- ANTONIA FILMER

A COMPLETE MESS

Having claimed to be a fighter and not a quitter, Prime Minister Liz Truss made her final U-turn and resigned. She will remain as Prime Minister until her successor is chosen. A leadership election will be completed this week, nominations will close at 2 pm on Monday. Nominations require a Parliamentary Party proposer and a seconder plus a hundred names of MPs in receipt of a Conservative whip; the proposer and seconder will be made public, but the supporters will be kept private by request. If only one candidate secures 100 backers that candidate will automatically become PM. Any candidate with less than a hundred names will be eliminated; hustings will be held before the remaining candidates will be put to MPs for an "indicative vote" to show Conservative Party members, who the Parliamentary Party wants as PM, then the final vote goes to Conservative Party members, who will choose online from the final two, with results expected on Friday evening.