Liz Truss Wins Race to Become New UK Prime Minister

Liz Truss will become Britain’s next prime minister after beating Rishi Sunak in the bitterly fought Conservative leadership contest.

The foreign secretary, who won 81,326 votes (57.4 percent) of Tory members to the former chancellor’s 60,399 (42.6 percent) takes over from Boris Johnson, who was ousted by his own MPs earlier this summer.

Truss has been Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Norfolk since 2010. She has served in various Cabinet positions under Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.

I am honoured to be elected Leader of the Conservative Party.

Thank you for putting your trust in me to lead and deliver for our great country.

I will take bold action to get all of us through these tough times, grow our economy, and unleash the United Kingdom’s potential. pic.twitter.com/xCGGTJzjqb

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) September 5, 2022

Liz Truss promised tax cuts

Truss has said she will reveal plans to support households within a week of taking office, with allies understood to be discussing a $120 billion package that could include freezing energy bills. She has already pledged to reverse a national insurance rise even though it disproportionately benefits the well-off.

In her acceptance speech, Truss praised “my friend” Boris Johnson. She said: “Boris, you got Brexit done, you crushed Jeremy Corbyn, you rolled out the vaccine and you stood up to Vladimir Putin. You were admired from Kyiv to Carlisle.”

She promised a “bold plan” to cut taxes and grow the economy and “deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply.”

She concluded her speech by promising to “deliver a great victory” for her party in two years’ time.