Liz Truss is the new British PM

ByElsa Sc S

Doing her graduation from LUMS & a keen researcher

Dated

September 16, 2022

Liz Truss is the new British PM

Elsa Sc S describes Liz Truss is the new British PM

Liz Truss is the new British PM finally succeeded in winning the coveted position of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom though in the slimmest ever Tory leadership race under current rules. After kissing hands, a rather awkward tradition of obtaining the commission of the highest political office in the land from the British monarch, she almost immediately named her cabinet. Liz Truss, holding the office of the foreign secretary before her elevation, was holed up in her grace-and-favour residence Chevening recently to thrash out her plan for the first days and potential jobs. She ultimately emerged winner after having a contest with Rishi Sunak, the tax-slashing free marketer, who slammed handouts for struggling Brits and also the first brown person to contest the highest political office. Sunak lost out with 60,339 votes to Liz Truss’ 81,326 votes after 82.6 per cent of the Tory Party took part in the ballot.

Liz Truss became the third female PM amidst concerns that she won the race by only 57% of votes cast pointing out that she needs to unite her warring party by bringing her critics into the fold. The 47-year old became the Conservative Party’s fourth PM since a 2015 election. Her appointment fills a months’ long leadership void that the UK has endured as its worst economic crisis in decades has worsened. Over that period Britain 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. In her jittery first speech Truss appeared to rule out an early general election by claiming that there will be great victory for the Conservative Party in 2024 elections.

She praised her friend Boris Johnson saying that he was admired from Kyiv to Carlisle but her remarks witnessed a delay before applause. The reaction to her speech was also muted as reports emerged that she is considering a freeze on at least some of the energy bills of the Brits to stop catastrophic rises in the coming winter. She has inherited a Britain with soaring prices, a broken relationship with Europe and the people of Britain increasingly unhappy with salaries and the cost of living. Liz Truss has a monumental task to appease the British public.

Born in an extremely left-leaning family, Liz herself mentioned that her mum was a member of the nuclear disarmament organisation, CND, and went on marches with her when she was a child. She grew up protesting the right wing PM, shouting, “Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, out, out, out!” but that she is certainly no longer a radical left-winger. Her change of views made observers to comment that there is very little consistency with Liz Truss that is also proved from the angle that she started her political journey as a Lib Dem against Brexit. It is also mentioned that despite all this political support, it turns out her father, a mathematics professor, refused to campaign for his daughter when she was seeking election in 2010 as he holds extreme left-wing views.

Liz Truss attended a public high school in the north of England and then moved down south to Oxford where she studied philosophy, politics and economics. Following that, she worked as an economist and worked at Shell, Cable & Wireless and was deputy director of the think tank Reform. She was also President of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats, a pro-EU party which is now pushing for a second referendum on Brexit. Liz Truss then ran for parliament – and failed – twice. But finally she was elected to represent Southwest Norfolk in 2010, an area in the east of England. Her political career had just begun. To put it briefly, her career moved on and up but not without a few slip-ups along the way.

She became foreign secretary last year but has had a few shifty moments during her time in cabinet. She was a ‘remain’ supporter but in 2017 she said she had “changed her mind” on Brexit. Truss has turned more and more toward the right. Now she is a firm right wing Conservative and counts Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg as two of her backers. She is also suspected to have had the continuous support of Boris Johnson.

Married with two children, she is 47 and met her husband, an accountant, at the Conservative Party conference. Truss is well liked by members of the Conservative Party and was known in her early years as the human hand grenade. Apparently she had a tendency to ‘blow things up.’ Truss is well known for hosting social events for MPs, occasions which have become known as “fizz with Liz” – though some say that she doesn’t use this term herself. Liz’s career, though, almost came to an abrupt end after members found out, and objected to, her affair with another MP. TW

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