Liz Truss Defeats Rishi Sunak to Become UK’s Prime Minister
Liz Truss has won the Conservative Leadership race, beating Rishi Sunak with a 57% share of votes. The former Foreign Secretary has replaced Boris Johnson in Number 10 Downing Street as the next Prime Minister of the UK.
Truss received 81,236 votes to Sunak’s 60,399. It is the lowest winning percentage by any Conservative leader since the voting system was announced in 2001. She will become the third female Prime Minister, following Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, respectively.
The new Tory leader is +250 in politics betting with Betfair to win a majority for her party at the next general election. That is scheduled to take place in 2025 unless Truss calls for it to arrive earlier.
Truss faces one of the toughest tasks any prime minister has had to deal with in the office, with the cost of living and Brexit likely to keep her busy. Given her clear stance on remaining out of the EU, expected to see that as one of the tips and predictions on political subjects. The UK is -2000 not to be a full member of the EU before 2026.
After what has been a tough leadership contest, Truss must also unite her party now. Many of her fellow MPs supported Sunak so she must win those colleagues over ahead of the next general election. The policies she announces in her first 100 days in office are going to be very important.
As Prime Minister, I will unleash Britain’s potential by going for growth and removing the obstacles holding our country back.
A growing economy is key to delivering for the British people and unlocking opportunity.
My piece in @Telegraph ���https://t.co/agfTaq78R5 pic.twitter.com/3AUkw6aqZ5
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) September 4, 2022
Truss and Starmer Likely to go Head-to-Head at Next General Election
Although it won’t just be two parties on the ballot paper at the next election, Truss is expected to go head-to-head with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for the keys to Number 10. The approval ratings have the Labour man ahead in that contest at this early stage.
As historical research shows, Labour has not been in office since losing the 2010 general election. Tony Blair served as PM between 1997 and 2007, as part of New Labour, while his former Chancellor Gordon Brown then took over between 2007 and 2010.
When David Cameron won the 2010 general election, it was the start of 12 years, and counting, of Tory leadership. Brown, Ed Miliband, and Jeremy Corbyn (twice) all suffered defeats in that period when the country when to the ballot box.
Starmer took over from Corbyn in 2020 and since then he has helped Labour improve their results in the polls. He now must convert that confidence behind him at the next general election where he will have a new opponent in Truss.
Truss will be familiar with Starmer, as she has spent a lot of time on the front bench at Prime Minister’s Questions when her former boss Johnson has come up against the Labour leader.
The Conservatives have experienced some heavy defeats in the recent by-elections in the country, so those results will concern Truss as she looks to win back the public’s trust behind her party.
One thing is for sure, it is all to play for again going into the next election and there will be plenty of opportunities for both leaders to present their case to the nation ahead of that vote.
