“A team effort from the Conservative party is needed to restore stability to the British economy and put the country first" is the view of both Swindon’s MPs.

The town’s two Conservative MPs were singing in harmony when speaking separately in the LDR in the moments immediately after Prime Minister Liz Truss’s resignation announcement.

As they digested the news that the woman who had kept him on as Welsh Secretary would be gone within a week, Sir Robert Buckland, South Swindon MP said: “Stability is important.

“The chancellor’s announcement on Monday settled the financial markets and that calm has carried on, but a political storm broke out. And by announcing that she’s stepping down the prime Minister has acted to try and stabilise that.

“What I want to see now is a team captain become party leader and Prime Minister and lead a united team so we can continue to stabilise the difficult situation and deliver on the priorities of the British people.

“The work of government goes on and it must go on. We must put the country first and act in the national interest”

The call for unity and teamwork was echoed by North Swindon’s Justin Tomlinson. He said: “We need to be grown up and pragmatic and have to be focussed on putting the country first.

“That means potential Prime Ministers and our strongest most experienced ministers must get together and find a way to form the best possible team.  Factions or personal issues or historical positions on such things as Brexit are irrelevant; these are serious times, and we must step up.”

Both MPs resisted what will be the inevitable calls from the Labour Party to hold a general election immediately to renew the mandate from the British people.

Sir Robert, though, conceded that there was an argument for that – but didn’t think the time was right. He said: “What the new Prime Minister, whoever it is, must do is deliver on the 2019 manifesto, and we must start delivering on the priorities of the British people and get through this difficult winter.

“There is an argument that we might have an election after the winter – which would be getting on for four years of this parliament anyway, which is how most used to last before the Fixed Terms Parliament Act, which has now been repealed.”

Mr Tomlinson said: “MPs are elected in their own right and whatever the international and national headwinds, Robert and I continue to bat for Swindon.”