Current affairs

It's official: Liz Truss defeats Rishi Sunak and is all set to become the next British Prime Minister!

By alagu, 05 September, 2022
Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, United Kingdom

The hard-fought race in the UK has come to an end as the Britons are preparing to welcome their new Prime Minister. As Tory members' choice, Liz Truss (47) has won the race and is all set to become the next British Prime Minister, succeeding outgoing premier Boris Johnson and defeating his rival Rishi Sunak, who has significant backing from the Conservative MPs and top leaders but not from the party's electorate. 

Liz Truss, the incumbent British Foreign Secretary, is going to be the fourth prime minister in a decade and she would be entering the office with enormous challenges on her head including the ailing economy and soaring inflation. Truss will be taking oath as the British Prime Minister on Tuesday when she meets the Queen for an invitation to form a new government in the UK. 

Truss will be the third woman to be the Prime Minister of the UK after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. The final results were announced at 5 pm IST on Monday -September 5 by Sir Graham Brady - chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs and returning officer of the leadership election. The ceremony was watched globally as the final result was eagerly awaited across and beyond the borders. 

Ahead of the result announcement, Conservative Party co-chair Andy Stephenson has congratulated the party and candidates on a successful leadership race, including the multiple hustings where candidates made their pitch to the membership. Stephenson thanked members for taking on the solemn duty of electing a new Prime Minister and getting out the party's message across the UK. 

About 1.60 lakh Conservative members were eligible to cast their vote in electing a new leader. They cast their vote both online and by post. After Stephenson's speech, Sir Graham Brady took the stage to announce the winner during which both the contenders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were called into the packed arena. Brady said that there was a total voter turnout of 82.6% and announced Truss has won 81,326 votes compared to Sunak's 60,399 votes. 

It has then become official that Liz Truss has defeated Sunak at a margin of over 20,000 votes and she will be the new British Prime Minister. After the final announcement, Truss was invited to deliver her remarks amidst thundering applause. She thanked the party and her supporters for their backing and she thanked her rival Rishi Sunak for the hard-fought campaign. 

She further thanked her friend, the outgoing premier Boris Johnson for getting Brexit done. In her address to the auditorium, Truss stated that she knows Tory's beliefs resonate with the British people and says this includes freedom and the ability to control their own life as well as low taxes. She has pledged to fulfil the promises to the voters and pressed that the Conservative Party needs to show it can deliver over the next two years. 

She has affirmed that she has a bold plan to cut taxes and grow the UK economy. She concluded her speech by stating, "We will deliver, we will deliver, we will deliver." According to BBC, about 57% of valid votes cast were for Liz Truss while 654 votes were rejected. Truss later took to Twitter and wrote, "I am honoured to be elected Leader of the Conservative Party."

"Thank you for putting your trust in me to lead and deliver for our great country. I will take bold action to get all of us through these tough times, grow our economy, and unleash the United Kingdom's potential", she added. Besides being the third woman to become the Prime Minister, BBC reports that Truss will be the third Prime Minister in a row to win the job without a general election. 

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron took to Twitter and wrote, "Many congratulations to new PM Liz Truss. At this time of challenge & global uncertainty, I wish the new government well. I never forget the support I had from all former Conservative leaders when I won the ballot in 2005 & I hope all Conservatives will unite behind the new PM." 

Boris Johnson has announced that he will resign from the post of Prime Minister this July, which triggered a race with a handful of Tory leaders on the track. Eventually, it has Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss as the final two contenders and the duo had a six-week long campaign. As Truss will be succeeding Johnson, the latter will travel to Scotland to meet Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday to officially tender his resignation.

Later, Truss will meet the Queen separately and she would then officially be appointed as the Prime Minister by the Queen following which the new premier will travel to her office at 10 Downing Street and will deliver her inaugural speech before giving the final touch to her new cabinet. She has been flooded with wishes from the Tory and global leaders.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, "Congratulations Liz Truss for being chosen to be the next PM of the UK. Confident that under your leadership, the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will be further strengthened. Wish you the very best for your new role and responsibilities." Conceding the defeat, Rishi Sunak wrote, "Thank you to everyone who voted for me in this campaign. I’ve said throughout that the Conservatives are one family. It’s right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country through difficult times." 

 

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