Macron wishes UK a 'rapid return to stability' after Truss resignation

British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced Thursday her resignation as Conservative Party leader after just six weeks in power and said her successor would be elected by the end of next week. France's President Emmanuel Macron wishes the UK "a rapid return to stability." 

Britain's Prime Minister Liz Truss addresses the media in Downing Street in London, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Truss says she resigns as leader of UK Conservative Party. AP - Alberto Pezzali

"I recognise that given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party," Truss said.

A leadership election for MPs to select her successor will be "completed within the next week," she added.

"It will be possible to conduct a ballot and conclude a leadership election by Friday the 28th of October. So we should have a new leader in place before the fiscal statement which will take place on (October) the 31st," Graham Brady, chairman of the influential 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, told reporters.

"Rapid return to stability"

France's President Emmanuel Macron wished Britain a rapid return to stability on Thursday as Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned after six weeks in office marred by political and economic chaos.

Arriving at an EU summit, Macron said he would not comment on British domestic politics, but added: "It is important that Great Britain regains political stability very quickly, and that is all I wish."

• French minister criticises Liz Truss for provoking UK economic disaster

Relations between Paris and London have often been sour as Britain negotiated its divorce from the European Union, and threatened to get worse as Truss courted the hardline pro-Brexit wing of her party.

🇫🇷🇬🇧 France's President Emmanuel Macron says he hopes the UK can find stability again and move forward as quickly as possible following the resignation of Prime Minister Liz Truss.

"That's good for us and good for our Europe," he said. pic.twitter.com/OULYeivbZT

— euronews (@euronews) October 20, 2022

During her campaign to be elected leader of the Conservative Party, and thus prime minister, Truss famously said that "the jury is out" on whether the French leader was a friend or foe of Britain.

But there were also signs of a potential rapprochement on strategic issues, with Truss agreeing to attend the first summit in Prague of the Macron-inspired European Political Community.

News of Truss's resignation broke as Macron was arriving at the EU summit in Brussels, and he was asked about it by reporters.

Macron said that he had had several telephone calls with Truss during her brief time in office and had been glad to see her in Prague.

"I want to say that France, as a nation and people who are friends of the British people, wishes them above all stability," he said, stressing the context of the war in Ukraine and energy price crisis.

"But personally, I'm always sad to see a colleague leave in this way and what I want to say is that I wish stability can return soon."

(With agencies)