IRIA News

The Conservative Party of Britain has picked Liz Truss as the country’s next Prime Minister after she contested a close race against Rishi Sunak.

The race for the Prime Minister’s office began in July 2022, when the UK’s former Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation following a slew of accusations and scandals. After running a head-to-head against former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss emerged as Conservative Party’s leading pick to take the office of the Prime Minister.

Mary Elizabeth Truss has become the country’s third female Prime Minister after Margret Thatcher and Theresa May.

In a short victory speech at the announcement ceremony in London Convention Hall, Truss said that it is an “honor” to be elected after going through “one of the longest job interviews in the history.”

Truss gained 57% of the total votes while Rishi Sunak got 42% votes in his favor. Truss’s campaign for the Prime Minister’s office was based on tax cuts and economic growth. She also promised to solve UK’s energy crisis if she gets a chance to serve as the country’s Prime Minister.

UK’s Conservative party has been in power since 2015, however, the office of the Prime Minister has seen several faces since then. Truss has become Party’s fourth Prime Minister since 2015.

Currently, the UK is facing several crises. The country is facing a looming threat of recession as the skyrocketing inflation has badly clutched the economic well-being of the common man.

The 47-year-old Oxford-born and Oxford graduate Liz Truss has promised to tackle the rising inflation and energy crisis, saying that she will come up with a plan within the first week to reduce the cost of living in the United Kingdom.

“I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy. I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply,” Truss told party members after she was elected.

Before running for the office of the Prime Minister, Truss served as the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development affairs under Boris Johnson. She has served as the Minister for Women and Equality in 2019. 

The premiership of Truss would also mark a change in UK’s policy for its bilateral relationships. Truss was once a member of the Liberal Democrat, however, she changed her party to vote in favor of Brexit.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Truss, but said London and Brussels must work “in full respect of our agreements.” She said in a congratulatory tweet that “The EU and the UK are partners. We face many challenges together, from climate change to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

Political career of Liz Truss

• She entered Parliament in 2010. She was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare in September 2012.
• Truss served as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from July 2014 until July 2016.
• She was Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from July 2016 until June 2017. 
• She was Chief Secretary to the Treasury from June 2017 until July 2019.
• Truss was appointed as UK’s Foreign Secretary in September 2021.
• She was appointed Minister for Women and Equalities in 2019.
• She was elected as the Conservative MP for southwest Norfolk in 2010.

Profile of Liz Truss

• Truss was born in Oxford in 1975 to parents she describes as “left-wing”. Her father was a professor of mathematics and her mother a nurse and teacher.
• Elizabeth studied philosophy, politics and economics at Merton College, Oxford.
• Truss joined the Conservative Party in 1996.
• She has served under three prime ministers in several different cabinet jobs, most recently as UK’s foreign secretary.
• Truss is an avid Brexiteer but has since changed her mind and now sees Brexit as an opportunity to transform the UK economy.  
• In 2022, Truss won the Conservative leadership race beating Rishi Sunak to be named leader of the Tory party and the next Prime Minister of the UK.
• She is the 56th prime minister of the UK and only the third woman to serve at the top position after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. 
• Elizabeth is married with 2 children.