- Tuesday, March 11, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
British foreign secretary Liz Truss has defeated former finance minister Rishi Sunak on Monday (5) to become the new leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister of the country succeeding Boris Johnson as the next prime minister.
Sir Graham Brady – chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs and returning officer of the leadership election — announced 47-year-old Truss as the winner of the high-profile contest to become the next occupant of 10 Downing Street.
She is the third woman prime minister of Britain, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
The announcement of Truss’s selection came after the leadership election in which only the 180,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party were allowed to cast ballots.
Truss, who promised to increase defence spending and cut taxes, eventually had the last laugh.
The foreign secretary received 81,326 votes as against Sunak’s 60,399.
Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to formally name Truss as the new premier on Tuesday (6). The ceremony is set to take place at the queen’s Balmoral
Truss received 81,326 votes to Sunak’s 60,399.
Queen Elizabeth II is scheduled to formally name Truss as Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday. The ceremony will take place at the queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland, where she is staying at the moment, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London.
The two-month leadership contest between Truss and Sunak left Britain with a power vacuum at a time Britain is witnessing food and energy prices rising steeply.
