[Reporter commentary] British Prime Minister Truss announces resignation as party leader What will happen to his successor?

British Prime Minister Truss has announced that he will step down as leader of the ruling Conservative Party.

On top of that, the party leader election will be held next week, and as soon as the next party leader is decided, the prime minister will also resign.

This is a commentary by Hiroko Matsuzaki, a reporter from the London bureau, about the reception in the UK and what will happen to his successor.

Q. How is it received in the UK?

When I heard the story in the city of London, I heard many cold voices such as "There is no surprise" or "It was inevitable that I quit."

In the UK, the inflation rate has reached a record level of over 10%, and many of the people are putting pressure on their household finances due to rising prices of daily necessities.

In response to the fact that the Truss administration was unable to take concrete measures against such a situation and resigned, I feel that resentment and distrust of politics are spreading.

Q. What will happen to the Conservative party leadership election to decide the successor?

It is necessary to obtain the recommendation of 100 members of the House of Representatives in order to run, but the hurdle has become significantly higher since the number was 20 last time.

This seems to be aimed at preventing a flood of candidates and shortening the political vacuum period as much as possible.

With 357 Conservative MPs, this means that a maximum of three candidates can run for office.

In the local media, the names of former Finance Minister Sunak and House of Representatives leader Mordant, who ran for the party's leadership in the previous election, are being talked about as strong candidates. increase.

Johnson has a strong following among the public, and several lawmakers have already endorsed him.

The Conservatives are expected to play a vital role in getting out of the predicament, as the Conservative Party is far behind the opposition Labor Party in polls.

On the other hand, it is also true that there is resistance among lawmakers to Mr. Johnson, who just resigned last month after a series of scandals, and the focus will be on whether he can gather 100 nominations.

Britain's new prime minister is expected to be decided in a week's time.

However, most of the people are calmly watching the outcome of the party leadership election, asking ``What will they do?'' rather than ``Who will be?''