Liz Truss elected as UK's 3rd woman PM, defeats Rishi Sunak by over 20,000 votes

By Gargi Chaudhry | First Published Sep 5, 2022, 5:13 PM IST

Liz Truss will succeed ousted Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister. Liz Truss defeated her rival, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who received 60,399 votes, to win the Tory leadership contest.

Liz Truss has become the next United Kingdom Prime Minister on Monday after defeating Rishi Sunak with 81,326 votes in the Tory leadership battle. She will succeed ousted Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister. Liz Truss defeated her rival, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, who received 60,399 votes, to win the Tory leadership contest.

Rishi Sunak, a fellow party member who did not have the backing of Conservative Party members, lost to former foreign secretary Truss, who entered the contest with lower odds of winning. The results were announced by Sir Graham Stuart Brady, the returning officer, and chair of the Conservative Party's 1922 Committee.

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After her win, she took to Twitter and wrote: "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."

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 for Leader (@trussliz)

Following her triumph, Truss will speak to party members. Liz Truss is the UK’s 56th prime minister and the third female prime minister to lead the country. Both of the previous female prime ministers, Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher, belonged to the Conservative Party.

Also Read | Liz Truss wins UK PM race; Here's everything you need to know about her

Truss will now have to focus on reforming the economy, slowing the rate of inflation, and addressing the energy issue that is hurting all of Europe. Moreover, she will now spend the remainder of the day deciding who will hold the top cabinet positions.

At her Scottish hideaway, Queen Elizabeth II will accept Boris Johnson's resignation. For her first encounter with the Queen as prime minister, Liz Truss will also travel to the Balmorals. On Tuesday, she will also speak to UK people before assuming her new position on Wednesday after being sworn in.

Also Read | Will Rishi Sunak serve in government run by Liz Truss? Here's what he said

Truss will face the task of reversing the National Insurance rise, scrap EU laws by 2023 and help first-time homebuyers. There is another daunting task that she faces - uniting the Tories ahead of the general elections. She won the backing of Conservative Party members riding on a wave of low taxes while not cutting down on public spending.

The potential UK energy crisis will trouble the prime minister as well, but Truss plans to submit a law that will freeze energy prices for millions of UK residents. In order to assist families in coping with the cost-of-living problem, she also intends to implement additional income tax reductions.

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