High Peak MP calls for compromise and mature judgement after Liz Truss resigns as Prime Minister

The announcement that Ms Truss would resign was made yesterday after another tumultuous week for the Government and means she becomes the shortest serving Prime Minister in UK history having held the position for just 44 days.

The Conservative Party will now select a new leader within the next week.

Mr Largan said Ms Truss wasn’t his first, or even second choice, for leader but added: “The whole country needed her to succeed and I wanted us all to work together to deliver.

“It has become painfully clear that Liz Truss is not capable of succeeding and she has rightly resigned.

“As Prime Minister, Truss made a number of serious misjudgements, with Kwasi Kwarteng's 'mini-budget' being the worst.

“I have spent a large part of this past year warning about what I feared could happen if the wrong decisions were taken.

“Back in January, I first highlighted the danger of rising energy bills in the wake of Russian aggression and the need for radical action to help households and businesses through this winter and buy us time to scale up our own energy production (both renewable and nuclear) to ensure our long-term energy security.

“In July, I started warning about the precarious economic situation and the Government’s limited fiscal room for manoeuvre, urging politicians to resist the temptation of unfunded tax cuts or unfunded spending commitments.

“I was the first Conservative MP to come out in opposition to the 'mini-budget' and I am afraid that many of my warnings have been proven to be correct.

“I have always said that I would take an independent-minded approach and put the High Peak ahead of party politics.

“The events of the last few weeks have really put that commitment to the test. I rebelled against the Government to oppose fracking (on Wednesday) and stand by the manifesto that I was elected on. I did this despite being told that if I did so, I would face being thrown out of the Conservative Parliamentary Party. Instead, the Prime Minister has resigned.

“We’re still emerging from a 1-in-100 year pandemic. We’re in the middle of a 1-in-50 year energy crisis. War is raging in Europe. We’ve had weeks of destabilising uncertainty, threatening mortgages and pensions.

“Very difficult decisions lie ahead. I believe that compromise and mature judgement are needed. Not self-indulgence or pandering to nostalgia.

“Whatever happens, I will keep on standing up for the High Peak!”