Liz Truss was elected by the 1922 Committee, the council of deputies that organizes the internal elections for the leadership of the Conservative Party, succeeding Boris Johnson. She will be the third woman to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“It is an honor to be elected leader of the party,” said the hitherto chancellor, in her victory speech, thanking her family, friends and supporters, the opposition Rishi Sunak, but also the conservatives for organizing “the largest interview in History work”.
Regarding his “friend Boris Johnson”, Truss highlights that he managed to execute Brexit, “crush Jeremy Corbyn”, carry out the vaccination and “confront Vladimir Putin”.
“I am going to introduce a bold program to lower taxes and grow the economy. I am going to address the energy crisis, focusing on the energy bill of families, but also on the long-term problems that we have related to energy. focus on the National Health Service,” she promised.
The chancellor became the candidate of continuity, rallying the support of the most right-wing and pro-Brexit wing of the party.
Liz Truss, 47, a low-tax, free-market advocate, is a seasoned politician who has held various ministerial posts over the past 10 years.
During the campaign, Truss won ranks by promising tax cuts and taking a harsh anti-union tone, earning him comparisons to Margaret Thatcher and a lead of more than 30 percentage points in some polls.
The announcement was made early Monday afternoon, but the ‘handover’ will only take place on Tuesday, when Johnson presents the Prime Minister’s resignation to Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The trip to the north of the country, which breaks with the tradition of the audience held at Buckingham Palace in London, will slow down the transition, since the successor will also have to travel some 1,600 kilometers (round trip) between the capital and the Scottish castle. .
The long process began on July 7, when Boris Johnson announced his resignation after the resignation of 60 members of the government, instigated by a series of scandals and doubts about the leader’s integrity.
Eight weeks of internal elections followed. The 11 interested candidates and the eight that obtained the necessary support to enter the contest, were chosen as two finalists after five rounds of voting between deputies: Liz Truss and former Minister of Finance Rishi Sunak.
After a nationwide campaign that included 12 Truss-Sunak debate rallies, televised debates and other events, the final phase, conducted by postal ballot and open to only 172,437 party members, ended last Friday.
Liz Truss obtained 81,326 votes and Rishi Sunak: 60,399, in an election with only 17.4% abstention and 654 free or invalid votes.
The decision of who will govern the country of 67 million people fell to a group of less than 0.3% of the population, made up mostly, according to an academic study, of white men over 50 years of age.
An urgent response from the new head of government awaits issues such as the increase in the cost of energy bills, which is suffocating families, schools, hospitals and businesses, and inflation, which is generating social unrest.
Source: TSF
