Brentford MP Ruth Cadbury has demanded that a general election be called following Liz Truss' dramatic resignation as the UK's prime minister today (October 20).

Responding to the announcement that Truss would after 44 days in office be standing down, the Brentford MP said: "12 years of Conservative rule has crashed our economy, trashed our public services and created a cost-of-living crisis.

"Our country deserves a fresh start. We need a general election."

Truss in her resignation today became the shortest-serving prime minister in British history.

In a statement read outside Downing Street this afternoon, Ms Truss said: "I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability. Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills."

She said she was elected "with a mandate to change this", adding: "We delivered on energy bills. I recognise, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party, I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party. 

"This morning, I met the chairman of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady. We've agreed that there will be a leadership election to be completed within the next week."

Ms Truss will remain in office until a successor is chosen. 

The prime minister's downfall started with her former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced his mini-budget a month ago, which prompted weeks of economic turmoil and eventually led to him being sacked last Friday.

On Wednesday afternoon, her home secretary, Suella Braverman then quit after saying she had breached security rules by sending a policy message to a colleague over her personal email by mistake.