Curtains are falling to the political battle for UK’s Prime Ministerial post. The Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak race will reach its finishing point as the results will be out today.
Liz Truss has been constantly ahead of Rishi Sunak in polling among the estimated 2 lakh Tory members eligible to vote. The foreign secretary, if voted to power, will be Britain’s third women leader to hold the office. But the 47 year old leader has had a rather impactful political journey to showcase.
Here are some key things to know about Liz Truss:
** Truss was not always a member of the conservative party - her political journey began as a teenage member of the centrist Liberal Democrats before joining the right-wing Conservatives.
** Liz Truss stood as a conservative candidate for Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, in the 2001 general election and lost. She faced another defeat in 2005 from Valley.
** In 2016, Truss took a u-turn on her position on Brexit. She orginially campaigned for the UK to remain in the European Union, but later switched her position and backed Brexit. The shift has had many observers questioning her changing stance on issues.
** Under Theresa May, she served as justice secretary before becoming the chief secretary to the Treasury. She has often pitched herself as a person shaped by her experience under Theresa May.
** In 2019, under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss was the international trade secretary. In 2021, she was moved to the higher echelons of governance taking over as a foreign secretary.
** Truss has campaigned on a promise to cut the taxes and prioritise economic growth. If she wins, Truss has a mammoth task of managing the UK's soaring inflation and energy crisis situation.
(With Agency Inputs)