One hundred British people were sitting in the theater room where the BBC program was Time to ask are recording. People elected to collectively represent the UK electorate. “So more of you are voting for the Conservatives than any other party,” said the program’s host, Fiona Bruce. “Can I see a hand, who here wants a general election?”

At the time of the broadcast, Prime Minister Liz Truss had just announced her retirement. For the second time in less than four months, the ruling Conservative Party will be looking for a new leader. A leader who will automatically become British Prime Minister. Without asking the voter’s opinion.

Not all British people agree with that. In newspapers and on social media, famous and less well-known people are calling for elections. A petition someone opened for it via the British Parliament websitehad been signed more than 700,000 times as of Friday morning.

‘The Tories seem incapable of running a government’

Also during broadcast from Time to ask the subject leads to hatred. “The Tories (the Conservatives ed.) can’t seem to put together a functioning government,” a woman in a floral dress told the panel of politicians and opinion formers who attended. “It seems like a long time since the cabinet worked for this country. I feel that the mandate they had in 2019 is no longer relevant today. I think it’s time for us to talk.”

Conservative voters also agreed with him, when the public raised their hands en masse after the question about the election of presenter Bruce. Only a minority folded their hands. The woman in red in the front row, who herself said that she was “a lifelong conservative”, also raised her finger.

The British Prime Minister decides when a by-election will be held

The question is whether the call for elections will succeed. In British politics, the resignation of a prime minister rarely leads to new elections. Elections take place every five years, or at intervals if the sitting Prime Minister so chooses or if a government cannot be formed that has the support of a majority in the House of Commons.

The Conservatives now have a majority, and have little incentive to take risks in a by-election. Especially when many voters are dissatisfied with the performance of the Conservatives. The last election was held in 2019 by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The next election, according to British rules, is no later than two years.

But when Johnson announced his retirement in July, calls for a midterm election sounded here and there. Now that his replacement Truss is leaving the field after just 45 days, the calls are growing louder. Also left-wing tabloids Glass opened his own petition on Thursday. “The Tories treat this country with contempt,” said the newspaper, which was saddened that the Conservative Party would again be allowed to decide who will become prime minister after a series of “failed leaders”. “This abuse of democracy must stop. The British people have to decide who runs this country.”

Also read:

How the Brits mocked Liz Truss, the Prime Minister with the shortest term ever

The morning after British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ early departure, the newspapers (and the internet) were full of stories about her. And as befits the British press, it was accompanied by the necessary jokes and sneers.