The departure of British Prime Minister Liz Truss, after six chaotic weeks marked by policy U-turns and growing discontent within her own Conservative Party, spells more uncertainty for the United Kingdom, financial markets and foreign policy. As the contest to succeed Britain's shortest-serving premier begins, the country is seeking a new leader for the second time in four months.
International reactions to the fall of Truss, whose 45-day premiership was marred by political and economic upheaval, have been varied.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was always "sad to see a colleague go", but the most important thing for Britain was a "rapid return to stability".
US President Joe Biden vowed Thursday to continue close cooperation with the UK.
"I thank Prime Minister Liz Truss for her partnership on a range of issues including holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine," Biden said in a statement.
Russia, the EU and especially Ukraine will be watching carefully as to who will become the UK's new prime minister, with the UK having shown itself to be one of Kyiv's staunchest allies.
Relations between Moscow and London have reached record lows since Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Britain had "never known such a disgrace as prime minister".
Succession
The main contenders potentially in the running to succeed Truss:
Rishi Sunak: The former chancellor of the Exchequer had warned that Truss's plans to fund her policies through extra borrowing were reckless and could worsen decades-high inflation as well as market confidence in the UK.
Now that he has been proved right, Sunak was installed by bookmakers as the early favourite to succeed Truss.
Boris Johnson: The former PM has kept a low profile since resigning, giving a paid speech in the United States last week but offering no indications of his views on the crisis gripping the UK.
He was thought to favour Truss in the summer leadership contest – although his former top aide-turned-arch-critic Dominic Cummings argued this was because he expected her tenure to be disastrous and short-lived, paving the way for his return.
Ben Wallace: Wallace has impressed as defence minister, with Britain playing a pivotal role in the global response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In the most recent survey of Tory activists by website ConservativeHome, Wallace scored a net approval rating of 85.8 points – far ahead of any potential rivals.
Penny Mordaunt: The former defence and trade minister was an early grassroots favourite to succeed Johnson, coming within eight MPs' votes of beating Truss to make the final run-off against Sunak.
She was a strong Brexit supporter and key figure in the 2016 "Leave" campaign.
(with wires)
