Boris Johnson tendered his resignation as the Prime Minister of England today after a series of scandals brought his term to a premature end. He has called for support for his successor Liz Truss, who won the Conservative party leadership and is now the PM-Designate.
Who is Liz Truss?
Mary Elizabeth Truss, better known as Liz Truss, is the newly-elected leader of Britain's ruling Conservative party and is set to be elected as the country's third woman Prime Minister. She was the Foreign Secretary in the cabinet of former PM Boris Johnson. She has also served as the first woman Lord Chancellor, which is the highest rank among Britain's 'Great Officers'. She was first elected to the UK's House of Commons in May 2010.
Whom does she replace as the PM?
Truss replaces controversial former Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the helm. It is to be noted that Truss had supported Johnson's candidature for the leadership of the Conservative party when he took charge in 2019. A spate of lockdown parties, drunken misadventures, allegations of sexual misconduct, ballooning inflation and the fact that he had lost the support and confidence of members of his own party led to the downfall of Boris Johnson.
Who was her contender for the post of PM?
Indian-origin Rishi Sunak was another contender for the post of PM and the Conservative party's leadership. You might remember him from photos and videos of the cow puja he conducted in England last month. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2015 and was also the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020.
What can be expected from the UK government under the new leadership?
As Prime Minister, Truss's cabinet promises to be 'diverse' with the claim that it will not feature a white man in the four Great Offices on the cabinet. Truss has promised to deal with the energy crisis and to come up with a plan to cut taxes and help grow the economy.
