London: Liz Truss will be the UK’s next prime minister after beating Rishi Sunak to the leadership race of the Conservative Party and the government.
Truss will be the third female PM of Britain after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
She succeeds Boris Johnson, who was forced to resign in July amid scandals.
Johnson and Truss are scheduled to meet the Queen in Scotland on Tuesday for the formal change of guard at 10, Downing Street.
Conservative members voted for their choice between Sunak and Truss from August 1 to September 2. The counting took place on Monday, revealing that Truss received 81,326 valid votes, compared to 60,399 for Sunak.
The 47-year-old Truss thus won by a margin of 20,927 votes.
After being declared the victor, Truss promised to deliver on all fronts.
“I’ll deliver a bold plan… to cut taxes, energy bills,” she said.
“We will deliver for the country.. we’ll use the fantastic talent across the country,” she added before adding, “We’ll deliver a great victory for the Conservative Party in 2024,” amid thunderous clapping.
The next general elections are due in 2024.
