Liz Truss beats her rival Rishi Sunak by 81,326 votes to 60,399, after a summer-long internal contest sparked by Boris Johnson's resignation in July.
British prime minister-in-waiting Liz Truss will deliver a plan to lower taxes and boost economic growth, she said after winning the Conservative Party contest to replace Boris Johnson as the country's new leader.
In Monday's vote Truss secured 81,326 while her rival Rishi Sunak grabbed 60,399 votes.
"I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy. I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people's energy bills, but also dealing with the long term issues we have on energy supply," Truss said in a speech following the result.
The party's new leader will inherit a parliamentary majority and therefore become prime minister following formal handover procedures on Tuesday.
Truss becomes the country's third female prime minister following Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher.
Truss and her rival, former finance minister Sunak, spent the summer rallying support among Conservative Party members who cast the final vote.
The 47-year-old consistently led 42-year-old Sunak in polling among the estimated 200,000 Tory members eligible to vote.
The leadership contest began in July after Johnson announced his departure following a slew of scandals and resignations from his government.
On Tuesday, Johnson will deliver a farewell speech at Downing Street, after which he will formally tender his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, and she will appoint his successor in a so-called kissing of hands ceremony.
Chairman of 1922 Committee Graham Brady on Tory leadership results:
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) September 5, 2022
- Liz Truss received approximately 57.4% of votes
- Rishi Sunak received approximately 42.6%
- Truss will be formally confirmed as British PM by the Queen on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/bAlIsRxaD1
Public challenges
Truss faces a tough task in winning over general public opinion.
A YouGov poll in late August found 52 percent thought Truss would make a "poor" or "terrible" prime minister, and forty-three percent said they did not trust her "at all" to deal with the burning issue of the rise in the cost of living.
Polls show public support for an early general election and the Conservatives face a growing challenge to retain their 12-year grip on power.
The winner of the race faces "the worst in-tray for a new prime minister since Thatcher", The Sunday Times wrote, as the UK is gripped by its worst cost-of-living crisis in generations.
Plans amidst coming recession
Millions say that with bills set to rise by 80 percent from October — and even higher from January — they face a painful choice between eating and heating this winter, according to surveys.
British newspapers, including the Times and Daily Telegraph, reported on Monday that Truss was considering freezing energy bills for consumers, with the government reimbursing suppliers.
She has campaigned on a promise to slash taxes and prioritise economic growth, with Britain tipped to enter recession later this year, and has said that she would present a "full plan for how we are going to reduce taxes" and "get the British economy going" within a month.
Truss became foreign minister a year ago after holding a series of ministerial posts in departments including education, international trade and justice.
Source: TRTWorld and agencies
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