Liz Truss has been forced to resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Thursday, bringing to an end a dramatic 44-day tenure in which she presided over an economic meltdown and catastrophic damage to the ruling Conservative Party.

Senior party figures told Liz Truss to resign on Thursday morning, leaving bitterly divided Tory MPs facing the prospect of having to choose a third prime minister in a matter of months.

The chair of the 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady, met Truss on Thursday morning amid speculation among senior Conservatives that her premiership was coming to an end.

Insiders in the government confirmed that Brady, who is in charge of overseeing Tory leadership elections, met her in Downing Street at the prime minister’s request.

Truss’ allies said she requested the meeting with the “shop steward” of Tory MPs to “take the temperature” of the party following days of chaos.

Jake Berry, Tory chairman, and Therese Coffey, deputy prime minister, were also seen entering Downing Street, adding to the sense that Truss’s leadership crisis was reaching a head.

At least a dozen Tory MPs, including 1922 committee executive member Miriam Cates, have called for Liz Truss to resign.

“It appears to be untenable,” she said. “Yes, I believe the prime minister should resign.” Truss’s premiership, which began on September 6, has seen her economic strategy fail, her chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng sacked, and home secretary Suella Braverman forced to resign on Wednesday.

Party discipline has broken down, and Jeremy Hunt, the new chancellor, is currently attempting to put together a £40 billion package of tax increases and spending cuts to plug a fiscal gap before the next fiscal statement on October 31.