Liz Truss was named leader of the governing Conservative Party and Britain's next Prime Minister on Monday, taking power at a time when the country faces a cost of living crisis, industrial unrest and a recession. After weeks of an often bad-tempered and divisive leadership contest that saw the foreign minister face off against former finance minister Rishi Sunak, Truss came out on top in a vote of Conservative Party members. The announcement will trigger the start of a handover from Boris Johnson, who was forced to announce his resignation in July after months of scandal saw support for his administration drain away. Following her victory, Truss tweeted: "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." LIVE: Britain's next prime minister is announced following the Conservative ballot — Reuters (@Reuters) September 5, 2022 Truss, 47, had promised that she would act quickly to tackle Britain's cost of living crisis. She said that within a week she will come up with a plan to tackle rising energy bills and securing future fuel supplies. Long the front-runner in the race to replace Johnson, Truss will become the Conservatives' fourth prime minister since a 2015 election. Over that period the country has been buffeted from crisis to crisis, and now faces what is forecast to be a long recession triggered by sky-rocketing inflation which hit 10.1% in July. Truss has said she will appoint a strong cabinet, dispensing with what one source close to her called a "presidential-style" of governing, and will have to work hard to win over some lawmakers in her party who had backed Sunak in the race. She hails from north of England, a region that is traditionally a stronghold of the opposition Labour Party. The Oxford native herself identified as a Social Democrat, an affiliation close to Centrist policies, earlier. After a few unsuccessful attempts to contest elections in the 2000s, she won a seat in the House of Commons in 2010. In 2012, Truss became the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, and later held portfolios related to environment, food and rural affairs, and she has referenced this experience in her campaigning. Congratulating the PM-elect, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "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." (With inputs from Reuters)
