LONDON – Liz Truss spent 12 years in Parliament before reaching the pinnacle of British political power. She is now the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, having led the country for only 44 days.
A British prime minister has not served for as little as 119 days since George Canning in 1827. He died of tuberculosis while in office.
The blistering speed of the collapse of Truss’ period in governance is unparalleled in modern times.
Top 5 Shortest-serving British Prime Ministers
Having been elected by Conservative Party members — and not the country as a whole — Truss came into power after Boris Johnson was all but forced to step down as prime minister having lost the mandate to govern from his own party after a scandal-plagued three years and 44 days in office — three years more to the day than Truss actually lasted.
Truss came in with a clear plan but squandered her own mandate to govern in just 44 days. She made a U-turn on almost every single key policy she had run on during the leadership election this summer.
Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers her resignation speech at Downing Street on Oct. 20, 2022, in London.
The U.K. is now expected to name its third prime minister in just under two months by the end of next week.
Only eight prime ministers in the country’s history have even served less than a full calendar year, but most will not recognize their names.
Viscount Goderich served only 144 days in office in 1827, Bonar Law served 211 days in 1922, and Sir Alec Douglas-Home — the most recent former prime minister to serve less than a year — was in power for 363 days in 1963.
Even though Truss may now have the ignominious title of shortest-ever serving prime minister, the Conservative Party still commands a strong majority in the House of Commons and the next public vote is not due until 2024.
READ NEXT: Radioactive waste found at Missouri elementary school
