General election is now a democratic imperative, says Sturgeon

Scotland's first minister has said a UK general election is a "democratic imperative" following the resignation of Liz Truss as prime minister.

Ms Truss resigned after just 45 days in the job as her government became engulfed in political turmoil.

Nicola Sturgeon said the situation was an "utter shambles", with ordinary people paying the price.

Ms Truss will remain in post until a successor formally takes over as Conservative Party leader.

She will become the shortest-serving prime minster in British history when she stands down. A new leader will be appointed within a week.

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Reacting to the news of Ms Truss's resignation, the first minister tweeted: "There are no words to describe this utter shambles adequately. It's beyond hyperbole - and parody.

"Reality though is that ordinary people are paying the price. The interests of the Tory party should concern no-one right now.

"A general election is now a democratic imperative."

And commenting on the fact that Ms Truss had yet to have a formal meeting or phone call with her, Ms Sturgeon said she would "just wait for whoever will become the fifth PM (so far) during my time as FM".

Liz Truss announced her resignation in a statement outside 10 Downing Street

Speaking to BBC Scotland, the first minister said she thought the resignation was "inevitable" the moment Liz Truss walked into Downing Street.

Ms Sturgeon said a general election was a necessity, but said it would not solve the "fundamental problem" for Scotland.

"Scotland's votes don't determine the outcome of UK general elections," she said.

"So as long as we're part of this Westminster system, we're always going to be vulnerable to getting prime ministers we don't vote for, implementing policies that we don't support and do real damage to the country.

"The democratic case for independence is growing with every hour that passes."

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Ms Truss was elected by the Tory membership in September, but she lost authority after a series of U-turns.

In a speech outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said: "I recognise that I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party."

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 backbench committee of Conservative MPs, confirmed a new leader would be in place by Friday 28 October.

The last thing senior Scottish Tories want is the return of Boris Johnson. That would be a "very dangerous" choice said one, given the former PM still faces a parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled parliament over partygate.

Another said a Johnson comeback would "destroy the Conservative party". If he has prominent backers in the Scottish party, they are yet to go public.

MPs Andrew Bowie and John Lamont have renewed their support for their first choice candidates in the recent contest - Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt.

They are probably among those best placed to secure the 100 MP nominations required.

Whoever emerges as Liz Truss's successor is unlikely to bow to the demands of the SNP, Labour and the Lib Dems for a snap general election, given the Tories are so far behind in the opinion polls.

The next PM faces a huge task in trying to stabilise politics and the economy and rebuild lost credibility. As one Tory MP put it: "we are fighting for survival".

Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross said Ms Truss had made the "right decision".

He said in a statement: "I wish Liz Truss and her family well. No matter where you stand on her decisions as prime minister, politics can be very tough on people personally."

He told BBC Scotland that another general election would put the country in "turmoil" again.

Mr Ross said that although the situation in Westminster was "poor", he did not believe it fuelled the case for Scottish independence.

And he added that he would not be declaring for any candidate in the leadership election.

"As leader of the party here in Scotland I'll work with whoever becomes the next leader," he said.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said he was "sorry" to see the prime minister step down, but added it was clear Ms Truss was not able to deliver her mandate.

"What is important now is that the Conservative Party acts quickly to elect a new leader, one we can all get behind," he said.

However, the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, echoed Sir Keir Starmer's call for an immediate general election.

He said: "It's right that Liz Truss has resigned. But in truth, this entire Conservative government must go.

"The next Tory Leader will have no mandate to be prime minister. We need a general election now."

Scottish Greens co-leader, Patrick Harvie, said the Conservative Party represented a "clear and present danger" to Scotland and the UK, arguing that Ms Truss's resignation bolstered the case for Scottish independence.

"Since the 2014 referendum, Scotland has endured four Tory prime ministers that we didn't vote for and couldn't remove.

"We can't go on with wave after wave of Tory chaos. With independence, Scotland can take a different path and end this Tory circus for good."