Liz Truss is next British Prime Minister, to focus on taxes, energy and health
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Liz Truss is next British Prime Minister, to focus on taxes, energy and health

Truss succeeds Boris Johnson to become UK’s third woman PM; Sunak unlikely to take up any ministerial post.

   
File photo of Liz Truss | Twitter/@trussliz

File photo of Liz Truss | Twitter/@trussliz

New Delhi: Former British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss won the Conservative Party leadership race Monday to become the United Kingdom’s third woman Prime Minister.

The successor to Boris Johnson got 81,326 votes from party members while close contender Rishi Sunak got 60,399.

In her speech, Truss thanked her predecessor Johnson for “getting Brexit done, for rolling out the Covid vaccine and for standing up to Vladimir Putin”.

“Our beliefs resonate with the British people… in freedom, in ability to control your own life, in low taxes, in personal responsibility… I intend to deliver what we promised voters,” Truss added.

Outlining her future goals for the country, the next UK prime minister promised a “bold plan” to cut taxes, but gave no further details. She said: “I campaigned as a Conservative and I will govern as a Conservative. We need to show that we will deliver over the next two years… cut taxes, grow our economy, deliver on the energy crisis, deal with energy bills, and with long term issues of energy supplies, and deliver on the National Health Service.”

Truss ended her short speech by saying she would “deliver” in the 2024 elections.

“We need to show that we will deliver over the next two years,” she told the audience. “We all will deliver for our country, and I will make sure that we use all the fantastic talents of the Conservative Party. And we will deliver a great victory for the Conservative Party in 2024,” Truss added.

She also congratulated her opponent and former Chancellor Rishi Sunak who had the mandate of MPs earlier in the leadership race, but lost out to party members who favoured Truss. Sunak will not take up any ministerial portfolio, it is learnt.

Boris Johnson will tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday, who will then meet Truss to confirm her appointment as Prime Minister.

Truss will hold her first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, and is expected to immediately combat several thorny issues, including the rising cost of living and soaring inflation in the country.

The Conservatives are also lagging behind the Opposition Labour Party in opinion polls, having now appointed their fourth leader since 2016.

The Conservative leadership race was set off after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on 7 July following a series of resignations by his own colleagues who protested his scandal-plagued leadership.


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