Liz Truss resigns as prime minister - what happens now and will there be a general election?

Another one bites the dust.

That'll be three prime ministers in just a matter of months for the United Kingdom, with Liz Truss's time in office lasting just 44 days, the shortest of any PM in history.

Truss announced on Thursday that she 'could not deliver the mandate on which she was elected by the Conservative Party', after discussions with Graham Brady of the 1922 committee.

So, what happens next? First, let's all take a deep breath...

What happens now Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister?

Truss announced in her resignation speech on Thursday afternoon that there would be a leadership election which will be completed within the next week.

MPs will likely spend the next few days coming up with a list of potential candidates to try and decide who is fit to be prime minister. It will be tough for any single candidate to prove they are the right person for the job, given the recent mess made of the role.

Truss says that getting a new leader in within the next week will ensure 'that we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country's economic stability and national security'.

It's unlikely that a general election would be called, despite calls for one from opposition party leader Keir Starmer.

Starmer quickly reacted to the news of Truss's resignation, saying: "The Conservative Party has shown it no longer has a mandate to govern.

"After 12 years of Tory failure, the British people deserve so much better than this revolving door of chaos."

He says the Conservatives have also left the country 'weaker and worse off'.

"The Tories cannot respond to their latest shambles by yet again simply clicking their fingers and shuffling the people at the top without the consent of the British people.

"They do not have a mandate to put the country through yet another experiment; Britain is not their personal fiefdom to run how they wish.

"We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election - now."