Liz Truss has been announced as the new leader of the Conservative Party and the UK’s next Prime Minister.
She was born on 26 July 1975 and is a British politician who is the Prime Minister-designate and leader of the Conservative Party.
She is serving as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2021 and Minister for Women and Equalities since 2019.
It was revealed by Sir Graham Brady that Ms Truss received 81,326 votes for the top spot, while Mr Sunak received 60,399.
Taking to the stage at Westminster after the announcement, Ms Truss said it was an honour to be elected the leader of the Tory party, paying tribute to those who worked on her campaign as well as Mr Sunak.
Now she will lead the country, many have been taking another look at just who Ms Truss is.
Mary Elizabeth Truss was born on July 26, 1975 – making her 47 years old.
She studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Merton College, Oxford.
Before entering politics, Ms Truss worked in the energy and telecommunications industry for 10 years as a commercial manager and economics director.
She currently divides her time between London and Norfolk (where she represents the seat of Southwest Norfolk), where she lives with her husband, Hugh O’Leary, and two daughters.
Despite being born to left-wing parents (and having previously been a Liberal Democrats party member), Liz Truss is widely viewed to be on the right of the Conservative party, unlike more moderate voices like former leadership contender Tom Tugendhat.
She was first elected as a councillor in Greenwich in 2006 before becoming the MP for Southwest Norfolk in 2010.
Before becoming Foreign Secretary, Ms Truss served as an Education Minister, Secretary of State for the Environment, Justice Secretary, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for International Trade, President of the Board of Trade, and a Minister for Women and Equalities.
Tipped as an up-and-comer in the Conservative Party for some time, Ms Truss has long been rumoured to be a potential leadership candidate. Despite campaigning for Remain in the Brexit referendum, she has received the endorsement of many senior Brexit advocates, like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries.
Comparisons have been drawn between Ms Truss and Margret Thatcher, aided, at least in part, by her seemingly emulating the Iron Lady in photo opportunities, such as posing in an army tank.
However, her career has not been free from controversy, having become something of an often-used online GIF for her slightly bizarre pronunciation of the term ‘Pork Markets’. She also seemed to get lost after delivering her speech announcing her leadership bid.
Professionally, during her time as Foreign Secretary, she also faced criticism for a geography-based gaff that saw her openly mocked by Moscow officials, and for the use of a private plane on a trip to Australia reported to have cost the taxpayer in the region of £500,000.
While she was born in Oxford, Ms Truss grew up in a Leeds suburb called Roundhay.
It’s often described as ‘leafy’ and ‘affluent’, and also home to a large city park, also called Roundhay.
She attended the Roundhay School, where she completed her A-Levels – which helped her land a place at the University of Oxford.
Though in a televised Tory leadership debate, Ms Truss described the school as having ‘let down’ some of its pupils with ‘low expectations’, saying that talent had ‘gone to waste’.
The comment sparked fury in some residents and former Roundhay pupils, with one telling The Independent that her comments were perceived as ‘unedifying and insulting’.
Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton told The Guardian: ‘Roundhay School has been an excellent educational institution for decades and its staff and students are real assets to our community. It’s shameful that Liz Truss has decided to attack them.’
Indeed, the school was rated as ‘satisfactory’ by Ofsted during Ms Truss’ time there, and is now rated as ‘outstanding’.
In 1993, Ms Truss began a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Merton College Oxford – the same subject read by rival Rishi Sunak at Lincoln College Oxford.
During her time at the university, she was president of its Liberal Democrats Society, before graduating in 1996.
Source: Newsonline
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