Liz Truss will serve as the UK’s next Prime Minsterafter it was announced earlier today that she had defeated Rishi Sunak in the race for Conservative Party leadership.
The 47-year-old, who won by a comfortable margin, will succeed Boris Johnson on Tuesday (Sept. 6) and will join the likes of Theresa May and Margret Thatcher as the UK’s third female leader.
In a short speech after the result was declared, Truss said it was an “honour to be elected” and gave her thanks to the Conservative party for organising “one of the longest job interviews in history”, as well as her “friend”, Boris Johnson: “You got Brexit done. You crushed Jeremy Corbyn. You rolled out the vaccine and you stood up to Vladimir Putin,” she said.
Speaking on the promise of tax cuts and a plan to combat the ongoing energy crisis in the UK, Truss said: “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.”
During her speech, the ex-Secretary of State also appeared to rule out another election for the next two years, saying she would win a great victory for her party in 2024. Her rival, Rishi Sunak, has also urged Conservative members to back Truss following his loss.
In a tweet he said: “Thank you to everyone who voted for me in this campaign. I’ve said throughout that the Conservatives are one family—it’s right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country through difficult times.”
Boris Johnson, who was forced to resign following a wave of controversies which saw support from his administration team drain away, will visit the Queen at Balmoral to formally hand in his resignation tomorrow.
