After winning a leadership contest for the ruling Conservative party on Monday, Liz Truss will take office as Britain's next prime minister. She has promised to move on with tax reform pledges and address a worsening energy issue.
Truss, who is presently the foreign minister, defeated former finance minister Rishi Sunak by 81,326 votes to 60,399 in a ballot among Conservative Party members following weeks of a contentious and sometimes heated leadership race.
After the result was announced, Truss announced that she will deliver a bold plan to slash taxes and "grow" the economy, as per an NDTV report
Truss said: "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. And I will deliver on the National Health Service."
She asked for the support of the public to "serve our nation" and ensured to "utilize all of the amazing abilities of the Conservative Party, including our outstanding peers and members of parliament, counselors, MSs, MSPs, and councilors from all over the nation. Because, my friends, I am certain that we will consistently deliver."
She takes over for Boris Johnson, who was forced to resign in July after months of scandals caused support for his government to drop.
He will go to Scotland on Tuesday to meet Queen Elizabeth, where he will officially give her his resignation. The queen will then request Truss to form a new government.
Truss Promises To Deliver
Truss, who served as Johnson's foreign minister, has pledged to take swift action to address the increasing cost of the living problem, claiming that within a week she will come up with a strategy to address rising energy costs and guarantee future fuel supply, according to Reuters.
She signaled throughout her campaign that she would forgo tax hikes and lower other levies, a move some analysts warn would fuel inflation.
Truss has stated she will pick a strong cabinet and abandon a "presidential-style" of government, but she must win over those party legislators who backed Sunak.
The closest of any Conservative leadership contest in this century, her victory among party members was also the narrowest.
After her predecessor Boris Johnson officially resigns from office at Scotland's Balmoral Castle on Tuesday afternoon, Truss, the newly elected party leader, will be able to take charge of her new office at 10 Downing Street.
Soon after, Truss will meet with the 96-year-old queen for the first time as prime minister-elect before being flown back to London to start introducing her new Cabinet.
A Challenging Term
Truss will lead a Conservative administration amid numerous crises, per CNN. With rising energy and food costs, long hospital waiting lines, and public sector workers, dock workers, and even attorneys on strike, making the argument that the party deserves a record fifth term in the upcoming general election will be difficult.
For the first time in 40 years, the cost of electricity, food, and gasoline increased by more than 10% in July. The Bank of England predicts that by the end of the year, inflation will surge to 13%. The UK will experience a recession before the year is through, according to the central bank. And on Monday, the British pound fell 0.3% to its lowest level versus the US dollar since 1985 as a foreshadowing of these major challenges to come.
