POLITICS ROUND-UP: Highland MPs make call for general election after Liz Truss stands down
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Prime Minister Liz Truss's resignation as Conservative party leader has sparked calls from several Highland MPs for a general election.
Opposition parties want to see the public go to the polls following the stepping down of Ms Truss on Thursday.
She appeared outside Downing Street to make the announcement that she was no longer carrying on following a difficult month and half in power.
A number of Conservative backbenchers were thought to have lost faith in her ability to lead the country following her initial chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's highly criticised mini-budget.
Jeremy Hunt was brought in as Mr Kwarteng's replacement as chancellor and made several u-turns over policy.
But meanwhile Ms Truss's Home Secretary Suella Braverman also handed in her resignation following a blunder involving the use of email.
The two losses, plus a night of chaos in Westminster during a key vote on the use of fracking, led Ms Truss to say that she could no longer deliver on the mandate on which she had been elected.
A number of Conservative MPs are now expected to be in the running for leadership but opposition MPs want a general election instead.
Among them is the SNP's Westminster leader and Ross, Skye and Lochaber representative Ian Blackford.
The MP said: He said: "It was inevitable Liz Truss would have to go after the damage she's inflicted - but merely swapping leaders of a broken Tory government is not enough.
"There must now be a general election - people will accept nothing less."
READ MORE: SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford MP said Liz Truss's resignation was "inevitable"
His SNP coleague Drew Hendry also joined calls for the public to be allowed to go to the polls.
He said the Conservatives had "blown it time and time again".
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone said the public were "sick to the back teeth of this farce" in reference to the turmoil with the Conservative ranks.
He also backed the idea of a general election as being the right route forward.
However Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who represents Moray at Westminster, said Ms Truss had made the "right decision" and wished her well.
READ MORE: Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross reacts to Liz Truss standing
