On September 5, 2022 – Liz Truss is declared the winner of the UK Conservative Party leadership election, beating Rishi Sunak

In September 2022, Liz Truss was declared the winner of the UK Conservative Party leadership election, defeating former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The leadership race was triggered by Boris Johnson’s resignation amid a wave of scandals and cabinet resignations. Truss, who served as Foreign Secretary at the time, campaigned on a platform promising tax cuts, deregulation, and measures to address the energy crisis gripping the country. She positioned herself as a champion of low taxes and a “small state” approach, appealing to the grassroots Conservative membership. In the final vote, she secured around 57% of the votes from Conservative Party members, compared to Sunak’s 43%, giving her a clear mandate to become the next leader of the party and Prime Minister.

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Her victory made her the UK’s third female prime minister, following Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. However, her win came at a period of political and economic turbulence, with soaring inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, and uncertainty over Britain’s post-Brexit direction. Truss’s emphasis on rapid economic growth through tax cuts generated both hope and skepticism within the party and the wider public. While her election represented a shift toward the right of the Conservative Party, it also set the stage for political challenges that would define her short and turbulent premiership, as her policies soon clashed with economic realities and market reactions.

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