British prime minister Liz Truss on Thursday became the shortest-serving leader in the country’s political history after she resigned forty-five days into the job, Reuters reported.

The forty-seven-year-old Truss, formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II on September 6, just days before the monarch’s death, was brought down chiefly by her aggressive tax-cutting economic program, which roiled financial markets, pushed up living costs for voters, and angered much of her own party. The previous shortest tenure for a British leader was held by George Canning, who lasted just 119 days in the early nineteenth century.

“I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. I recognize, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate to which I was elected by the Conservative Party,” Truss said in a brief statement outside No. 10 Downing Street.

“I have therefore spoken to his majesty the king to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party,” she continued.

She ended her statement by saying: “I will remain as prime minister until a successor is chosen.”

Truss’ announcement followed a tumultuous day in which Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned and several senior party members called on Truss to do the same.

“This whole affair is inexcusable. It is a pitiful reflection on the Conservative parliamentary party on every level, and it reflects very badly obviously on the government of the day,” senior Conservative MP Charles Walker told BBC News.

Since Britain elects a party, not a specific leader, Truss is expected to be replaced by another lawmaker from her ruling Conservative Party. The process to replace her will likely take place within the next week. Meanwhile, the opposition Labour Party called for an immediate national election.

Rishi Sunak, who was former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s finance minister and pointed out the economic dangers of Truss’ economic plans, is one of the favorites to replace her. There is also increasing support for a more centrist figure like Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt. Other potential successors include Defense Minister Ben Wallace and House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt.

There are even calls for Johnson to stage a dramatic return, just months after resigning under pressure from his own party.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden, who last week called Truss’ tax cut plan a “mistake,” in a statement thanked “Truss for her partnership on a range of issues, including holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine.”

“We will continue our close cooperation with the U.K. government as we work together to meet the global challenges our nations face,” he added.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Finance and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.