Liz Truss has been announced as the new Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative party.
Truss was elected after weeks of campaigning against former chancellor Rishi Sunak for the position, and was voted in with 81,326 votes against Sunak’s 60,399.
The vote reported an 82.6% turnout from an electorate of 172,437 Conservative party members.
“I know that our beliefs resonate with the British people. Our beliefs in freedom, the ability to control your own life, in low taxes, in personal responsibility. And I know that’s why people voted for us in such number in 2019,” said Truss in a speech.
“As your party leader, I intend to deliver what we promised those voters right across our great country.”
“I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy. I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with peoples’ energy bills, but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply.”
Truss congratulated Sunak on his campaign and expressed admiration for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his tenure in the position.
“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.”
Truss promised to deliver on her campaign selling points, including assistance with the energy crisis, as well as the NHS and taxation initiatives.
The new Prime Minister faces a challenging situation, including the war in Ukraine, the raging energy crisis, and the double headache of Covid and Brexit left in the wake of her preceding administrations.
