Colin Mackay: Prime Minister Liz Truss leaves Downing Street - but trust left long ago

Liz Truss is leaving Downing Street, but trust left long ago. She has only been Prime Minister for about six weeks – she spent longer campaigning to be PM than she spent in the job.

For the last few weeks, politics has seemed a bit like a reality TV show with journalists waiting for Truss to be evicted from Number 10.

But the true reality of her leadership has been soaring mortgage rates for millions because of the bad decisions of her government.

She tanked the financial markets – they were the first to lose confidence, followed by the public and her party.

She said in her resignation statement that she cannot deliver the mandate of her party – it’s been clear for weeks that was the case after her budget plans unravelled.

There will be a leadership contest in the next week – that means only Conservative MPs will choose the third Prime Minister since the last general election.

That will ramp up calls for an early election, but you would expect her successor to resist that to let things settle in the Conservative party, the financial markets and, they will be hoping, the country.

So, Liz Truss is the shortest-serving Prime Minister in history – considered by many as the worst.