Nicola Sturgeon urges Tories to oust 'lame duck' PM Liz Truss

Nicola Sturgeon has urged Tory MPs to oust "lame duck" Prime Minister Liz Truss.

There have been calls for Ms Truss to resign and a general election to be held amid the turmoil at Westminster.

The prime minister has insisted she is "absolutely determined" to deliver on her leadership promises.

After firing close ally Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor, Ms Truss held a Downing Street press conference on Friday to announce new economic measures the government hopes will calm the financial markets.

Ms Truss reversed a key policy to scrap the planned rise in corporation tax from 19% to 25%, saying this would raise £18bn a year for a "down payment" on her fiscal plans.

The first minister said: "She had already shown herself to be completely out of her depth as prime minister. As of today she is also a lame duck prime minister.

"The sooner she goes and the sooner people get the chance to get rid of this Tory government, that is doing so much damage, once and for all the better."

The first minister urged Tory MPs to take matters into their own hands if their leader does not resign, adding: "This is beyond a joke.

"It was never funny, but Liz Truss has already, through her own decisions, trashed the economy and heaped misery on people who were already struggling with a cost of living crisis."

During the press conference, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Ms Truss was asked by journalists if she should resign.

In reply, she said she was "absolutely determined to see through what I have promised".

Ms Truss has appointed Jeremy Hunt as her new chancellor.

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford told the BBC he believes Ms Truss will "ultimately be removed from office" by her own MPs.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also argued that there should now be a general election.

"It's not just Kwasi Kwarteng that needs to go," he said.

"We need to remove all those that were involved in putting together this disastrous plan, and everyone that signed it off - not just the guy who read it out.

"It's time to remove this economically illiterate and morally bankrupt Tory party from government."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex-Cole Hamilton said: "Enough is enough.

"It started with Boris Johnson failing our country, and now Liz Truss is trashing our economy. It's time for us to have our say in a general election."

Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater said: "This has already gone on too long, and far too many people are suffering.

"If Liz Truss wants to emerge with any shred of credibility then it can't just be her chancellor that leaves Downing Street, it must also be her."