Liz Truss to succeed Boris Johnson as next UK Prime Minister

Member of Parliament, and British Foreign Secretary, Ms Liz Truss is set to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after defeating her closest rival, Rishi Sunak to emerge leader of the ruling Conservative Party.

Liz Truss will formally succeed outgoing PM Boris Johnson, from Tuesday.

The election was concluded, Monday, with Truss winning 57 per cent of Conservative Party members’ votes, as against opponent Rishi Sunak’s 43 per cent, a smaller margin of victory than expected.

The Indian-born Hindu, Sunak had led for most parts of the contest by a wide margin and was initially believed to become the next UK Prime Minister.

Ms Truss, a tax-cutting crusader who has modeled herself on Margaret Thatcher and endeared herself to the Conservative Party’s pro-Brexit right wing, won the Conservative Party leadership election and will take over government, Tuesday, as UK’s new leader.

Truss who won to become the new leader of the Conservative Party (Tory) was formerly the country’s Foreign Secretary, and will assume the Prime Minister of the UK office, from Tuesday after meeting the Queen of England, who is the Head of Government.

The Finance Secretary, Sunak has consistently attacked Truss’s economic agenda, saying that her proposed tax cuts would push inflation even higher.

Immediately, Boris Johnson will go from being prime minister to an ordinary Conservative MP. It is most unlikely he will serve in either Sunak or Truss’s cabinet, given his unpopularity.

He will probably return to his media career as a columnist, author and broadcaster in some way or another. He was a columnist at the Daily Telegraph for many years, both while serving as an elected politician and as a private citizen. His salary for that column was greater than his salary for serving as prime minister.

It is unknown whether or not Johnson wants to return to frontline politics or if he now wants to retreat, possibly even resigning as an MP, and live a quieter life. While that would be understandable, allies of Johnson believe that he is dissatisfied with how his time in power came to an end and feels that he has unfinished business.

There may be hurdles to overcome if he wants to remain a force in British politics, though. If an ongoing parliamentary inquiry finds later this year that he deliberately misled parliament over Partygate, Johnson could face a recall election and lose his seat.

But looming over Truss or Sunak is the uncomfortable truth that the public hasn’t had any say yet in Johnson’s removal or the appointment of his successor. If things start going badly for the next prime minister, it would be theoretically possible for the Conservative Party to remove them and restore Johnson as its leader.

Speaking after her victory, Truss promised a “bold plan” to cut taxes and said she will address spiralling energy prices that are driving a cost-of-living crisis in the country.

However, she offered no details of what either plan will involve; throughout her campaign, her critics, including opponent Rishi Sunak, have pushed her to detail her next steps, with households facing another spike in costs next month.

“I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy,” Truss said. “I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills.”

Truss congratulated her opponent, Rishi Sunak, who pushed her closer than many expected in the final ballot.She then gave a hearty tribute to Boris Johnson, who she will replace as prime minister on Tuesday after months of scandals forced him to resign.

“Boris: you got Brexit done, you crushed Jeremy Corbyn, you rolled out the vaccine, and you stood up to Vladimir Putin,” Truss said. “You are admired from Kyiv to Carlisle.”

Truss ended her short maiden speech as Conservative leader by pledging to win the next general election, and repeatedly insisting that she will “deliver.”

Truss will face Prime Minister’s Questions for the first time.

The Queen must, however, formally approve the formation of a new government led by Truss.

Normally, these meetings would take place quickly at Buckingham Palace, which is a short distance from 10 Downing Street, but the 96-year-old monarch will stay at her Scottish residence this time.

Therefore, Truss and outgoing leader Boris Johnson must travel to Balmoral in Scotland, Tuesday, in order to meet with Queen Elizabeth II, as per Britain’s unwritten constitution.

It would be recalled that Lady Theresa Mary also served as UK Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019.