Liz Truss became the third female prime minister in British history on Tuesday and pledged to immediately set about tackling the United Kingdom’s spiraling cost of living crisis, saying she was confident that “together we can ride out of the storm” of economic problems facing the nation.
Truss, 47, took office on a day of ceremony that saw her scandal-plagued predecessor Boris Johnson bow out in a defiant speech at Downing Street in London before both politicians flew to meet the Queen in Scotland for a transfer of power.
Truss, who served as foreign minister in the previous government, enters office after winning the most votes in the Conservative Party leadership contest to replace Johnson, who announced his resignation in July in the wake of a series of scandals. Her appointment fills a monthslong leadership void that the UK has endured as its worst economic crisis in decades has worsened.
Truss’s to-do list is long, with the country facing a deepening cost-of-living crisis, a crumbling healthcare service, and a seemingly endless wave of labor strikes.
Speaking on the steps of Downing Street on Tuesday evening, Truss said her priorities were delivering tax cuts to grow the economy, improving Britain’s energy security amid soaring prices, and fixing the National Health Service, though she did not outline any specific policies.
She also said she would defend freedom and democracy in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I will deal hands-on with the energy crisis forged by Putin’s war. I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply,” Truss said. “By delivering on the economy, on energy and on the NHS, we will put our nation on the path to long-term success.”
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