Liz Truss was sworn-in as 56th prime minister of United Kingdom on September 6. She succeeded Boris Johnson, who tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II on September 6.
Key points
- Truss elected the UK prime minister and Conservative Party leader by her fellow party members.
- Former foreign secretary Truss defeated rival Rishi Sunak with 57 percent of the vote.
- Liz Truss defeated Rishi Sunak in a vote of Conservative Party members, winning by 81,326 votes to 60,399.
- The 47-year-old Truss is the third female prime minister to lead the country. The previous female prime ministers – Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May – were also from the Conservative Party.
- Truss will now face the task of reshaping the economy, arresting surging inflation and tackling the energy crisis that is affecting the entire European continent.
- In her victory speech, she promised a “bold” programme of tax cuts to grow the flagging economy and to prevent the UK tipping into recession.
