Truss resigns as British PM

The chaotic and short premiership of the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Liz Truss ended abruptly on Thursday with the announcement of her resignation.

Truss had lurched from one debacle to another in the preceding days, with a senior member of her government resigning partially in protest against her leadership on Wednesday, before disruptive scenes broke out in Parliament on Thursday during a vote about fracking.

"I recognize... given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party," she said in her short, hastily arranged farewell speech.

Truss took office in September and was only in office for 45 days, making her term in office the shortest of any prime minister in British history.

There will now be a leadership election that could be over in a matter of days, with Truss staying on in a caretaking role until a successor is found.