There is an unmistakable feeling of deja vu. The familiar wooden lectern just metres in front of 10 Downing Street10 Downing Street, in central London, has been the official home of the UK prime minister since 1735. . The anxious flurry of cameras waiting for the door to open. The same people were gathered here what feels like yesterday for the resignation of Boris Johnson.

Though commentators have been forecasting the demise of Liz Truss for weeks, there is still a sense of shock. Truss, perhaps hoping to make history as Britain's third female leader, will instead be recorded as its shortest-lived, with only 45 days under her belt.

It happened with alarming speed. Her resignation speech was just 89 seconds long. Minutes earlier she had notified the King of her departure. 

There is no doubt: her time was memorable. Truss spent 45 days with her finger on the nuclear button. She was the last prime minister to receive the blessing of Britain's late Queen. Her economic interventions sent the British pound plummeting to a record low.

Forty-five days on the job. It is almost exactly half of a school term. One third of the amount of time it took to film The Titanic. Fewer than two advent calendars.

September's leadership contest left Rishi SunakA British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024. as a runner up. He is now the front-runner in his second leadership contest of the autumn, followed by rival Penny Mordaunt and even former PM Boris Johnson.

Some are disputing the fairness of yet another party-only election. Leaders are elected by Conservative Party membership of around 150,000 people, meaning the winner has endorsement from around 0.01% of the UK population. Many are demanding that the Conservative party offer a general election.

A recent petition demanding exactly that reached over 630,000 signatures. Both Labour leader Keir Starmer and Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon have cited the "revolving door of chaos" and "utter shambles" of the Conservatives as valid reasons to hand power over to the people again.¹

Since the Tories won the last general election in 2019, we have seen pandemic, war and economic crisis. The policies upon which they were elected may no longer reflect the people's will.²

But many in the Conservative party believe a strong new leader could subdue worries in the markets. A general election, they say, would only lead to more weeks of chaos.

Yes: It is absurd to cycle through leaders like this whilst the people remain powerless to have their say. The Conservative Party is falling apart at the seams, and it needs to renew its mandate.

No: The UK is a Parliamentary democracy, under which we have an Act which states that elected parties should have a tenure of five years in power. We have seen many changes in governing leaders which have not triggered a general election, and this should not be an exception.

Or... We should sit tight and await the results of the next leadership election. A general election, which will further disturb our economy and create yet more instability, should be a last resort.