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Liz Truss

Elizabeth Mary Truss (born 26 July 1975),[1][2] known as Liz Truss, is a British politician. She served as the 56th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. Truss was a Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Norfolk from 2010 to 2024.

Liz Truss
Liz Truss official portrait (cropped)2.jpg
Truss in 2022
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
6 September 2022 – 25 October 2022
MonarchElizabeth II
Charles III
DeputyThérèse Coffey
Preceded byBoris Johnson
Succeeded byRishi Sunak
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office
5 September 2022 – 24 October 2022
ChairmanJake Berry
Preceded byBoris Johnson
Succeeded byRishi Sunak
Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
In office
15 September 2021 – 6 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byDominic Raab
Succeeded byJames Cleverly
Minor ministerial offices 2012–⁠2022
Minister for Women and Equalities
In office
10 September 2019 – 6 September 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byAmber Rudd
Succeeded byNadhim Zahawi (as Minister for Equalities)
In office
24 July 2019 – 15 September 2021
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byLiam Fox
Succeeded byAnne-Marie Trevelyan
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
11 June 2017 – 24 July 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byDavid Gauke
Succeeded byRishi Sunak
In office
14 July 2016 – 11 June 2017
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byMichael Gove
Succeeded byDavid Lidington
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In office
15 July 2014 – 14 July 2016
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byOwen Paterson
Succeeded byAndrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education
In office
4 September 2012 – 15 July 2014
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded bySarah Teather
Succeeded bySam Gyimah
Member of the United Kingdom Parliament
for South West Norfolk
In office
6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byChristopher Fraser
Succeeded byTerry Jermy
Majority26,195 (50.9%)
Personal details
Born
Elizabeth Mary Truss

(1975-07-26) 26 July 1975 (age 49)
Oxford, England
Political partyConservative (1996–present)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal Democrats (before 1996)
Spouse(s)
Hugh O'Leary (m. 2000)
Children2
FatherJohn Truss
Residence
EducationMerton College, Oxford (BA)
Website{{URL|example.com|optional display text}}

She was the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs from September 2021 to September 2022 in Boris Johnson's cabinet.[3] She was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2017 to 2019.[4]

She also served as the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord High Chancellor from 2016 to 2017,[5] Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2014 to 2016 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare from 2012 to 2014.

In July 2022, Truss announced her candidacy for Conservative Party leader to replace Boris Johnson in the 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.[6] On 20 July 2022, Truss advanced to the final round of the election and faced Rishi Sunak.[7] On 5 September 2022, it was announced that Truss had defeated her opponent Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership race. Truss announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative party on 20 October 2022 after criticisms of her leadership and economic policies which caused a national crisis.[8]

She was replaced by Rishi Sunak after 50 days in office. She was the shortest serving Prime Minister in British history. In the 2024 general election, Truss lost her parliament seat.

Early life

Mary Elizabeth Truss was born on 26 July 1975 at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, England[9][1] to John Kenneth and Priscilla Mary Truss (née Grasby).[10][11] From an early age, she has been known by her middle name.[12] Her father worked at the University of Leeds, while her mother was a nurse and teacher.[13][14]

The family moved to Paisley, Renfrewshire in Scotland when she was four years old, living there from 1979 to 1985.[15] She studied at the University of Oxford.

Truss was an active member of the Liberal Democrats. Truss joined the Conservative Party in 1996.[16][17]

Parliament career

Truss was elected to the parliament during the 2010 general election to represent South West Norfolk.

On 4 September 2012, Truss was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education.[18] In this role, she developed some of the policy areas that she had pursued as a backbencher.

In July 2014, Truss was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[19] Truss said that she fully believed that climate change is happening,[20] and that "human beings have contributed to that".[21]

In July 2016, Truss was appointed as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor in Theresa May's first ministry. Truss became the first woman to hold either position and the first female Lord Chancellor in the thousand-year history of the office.[22][23]

After Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, Truss was seen as a candidate for an important cabinet role because of her support of Johnson during the 2019 leadership election.[24] She became Johnson's Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade.[3] After the resignation of Amber Rudd, Truss was also made Minister for Women and Equalities.

In September 2021, Johnson promoted Truss from International Trade Secretary to Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, becoming the second woman to hold the position after Margaret Beckett.[25]

2022 Conservative Party leadership election

Main page: July–September 2022 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election

On 10 July 2022, Truss announced her plans to run in the Conservative Party leadership election to replace Boris Johnson.[26][27]

Truss and Rishi Sunak were chosen by Conservative Party MPs to compete in the final stage of the leadership election.[28] On 5 September 2022, she won the election, beating Sunak by 81,326 votes to 60,399.[29]

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Further information: October 2022 United Kingdom government crisis
 
Truss announcing her resignation as prime minister on 20 October 2022, after 45 days in office

On 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II appointed Truss as Prime Minister.[30] Two days later, Elizabeth II died at the age of 96. Truss is the first British prime minister during Charles III's reign.[31]

When Truss became prime minister, she picked Thérèse Coffey, a close friend,[32] as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary.[33][34] Truss also picked Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer, James Cleverly as Foreign Secretary and Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.[35] This was the first time in British political history in which no white men were in these four roles.[36][37][38]

Early during her time as prime minister, she was criticized over her handling of the economy through tax cuts and limiting energy prices.[39] She cut taxes on businesses and reduced government regulation. Her tax plans were called Trussonomics and were inspired by the economic policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, known as Reaganomics, and Margaret Thatcher-era Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson.[40] Her tax policies were criticized by the International Monetary Fund,[41] U.S. President Joe Biden,[42] senior Conservative politicians Michael Gove and Grant Shapps,[43] and the Bank of England.[44] Her policies caused the pound to fall to a record low against the US dollar[45] and an increase in the cost of government borrowing.[46] In response, she fired Exchequer Chancellor Kwarteng and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt on 14 October 2022.[43]

Five days after firing Kwarteng, Suella Braverman resigned as Home Secretary after 43 days, because of an "honest mistake" involving sharing secure information on a private phone.[47] She also criticized Truss’s leadership in her resignation letter. Truss replaced her with Grant Shapps.[48]

After strong criticisms against her leadership and economic policies, especially from members of her party, on 20 October 2022, Truss announced her plan to resign as prime minister after 45 days in office, making her the shortest serving prime minister in the history of the United Kingdom.[49][50] She was replaced by former Chancellor of the Exchequer and leadership party rival Rishi Sunak on 25 October 2022, 50 days after being in office.[51] The short length of her premiership was the subject of many jokes. This included a livestream of a lettuce head, comparing the shelf-life of the lettuce to her remaining term.[52]

A poll found Truss to be the least popular UK Prime Minister on record.[53] Many other polls ranked her as extremely unpopular.[54][55][56]

Personal life

In 2000, Truss married accountant Hugh O'Leary.[57] They have two children. Between 2004 and 2005.

Liz Truss Media

  • Merton College, Oxford, where Truss studied (pictured in 2023)

  • David Cameron's official portrait from the 10 Downing Street website

  • Elizabeth Truss, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

  • Official portrait of Elizabeth Truss

  • Depicted person: Boris Johnson – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022

  • 09/02/2022. Moscow, Russian Federation. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss walks through Red Square as she visits Moscow, Russia. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

  • Logo for Liz Truss's 2022 campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party (UK)

  • Prime Minister Liz Truss’s speech to the UN General Assembly: 21 September 2022*Prime Minister Liz Truss's speech to the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

  • Rishi Sunak, leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 onwards[58]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 McSmith, Andy (18 July 2014). "Liz Truss: Conqueror of the Turnip Taliban". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/liz-truss-conqueror-of-the-turnip-taliban-9616086.html. Retrieved 8 August 2019. 
  2. ↑ No. 59418. 13 May 2010. p. 8744. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/59418/page/8744 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Norfolk MP Liz Truss made international trade secretary". Archived from the original on 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  4. ↑ Fuller, Calum; Sweet, Pat (12 June 2017). "Liz Truss handed Treasury role as Gauke joins DWP". Accountancy Daily. https://www.accountancydaily.co/liz-truss-handed-treasury-role-gauke-joins-dwp. Retrieved 25 June 2019. 
  5. ↑ John van der Luit-Drummond (15 July 2016). "Liz Truss becomes first female Lord Chancellor". Solicitors Journal. http://www.solicitorsjournal.com/news/crime/funding-legal-aid/27056/liz-truss-becomes-first-female-lord-chancellor. Retrieved 25 June 2019. 
  6. ↑ Truss, Liz (2022-07-10). "Liz Truss: I would cut taxes from day one as prime minister" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/07/10/liz-truss-would-cut-taxes-day-one-prime-minister/. Retrieved 2022-07-10. 
  7. ↑ "Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will go head-to-head in the race to become the UK's next prime minister". CNBC. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Liz Truss resigns as UK prime minister". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Where in Oxford is Liz Truss from?". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  10. ↑ McSmith, Andy (18 July 2014). "Liz Truss: Conqueror of the Turnip Taliban". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/liz-truss-conqueror-of-the-turnip-taliban-9616086.html. Retrieved 8 August 2019. 
  11. ↑ "BMD". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Belam, Martin (29 July 2022). Loves cheese, hates her first name: 10 things you may not know about Liz Truss. https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/29/liz-truss-cheese-karaoke-10-things-you-may-not-know. 
  13. ↑ "Liz Truss's Dad is said to be 'distraught' by his daughter's own policies". Indy100. 1 August 2022. https://www.indy100.com/politics/liz-truss-dad-tory-leader. Retrieved 22 August 2022. 
  14. ↑ "Profile: Elizabeth Truss". The Sunday Times. 8 November 2009. http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Test/politics/article189702.ece. Retrieved 30 July 2012. 
  15. ↑ "Liz Truss went to school in Paisley. Would that make her a better PM for Scotland?". 19 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "BBC Democracy Live: Elizabeth Truss MP". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/40370.stm. Retrieved 25 July 2010. 
  17. ↑ Dale, Iain; Smith, Jacqui (2019). The Honourable Ladies : Volume II: Profiles of Women MPs 1997–2019. La Vergne: Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78590-447-9. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare: Elizabeth Truss MP". UK Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  19. ↑ Morris, Nigel (18 July 2014). "Former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson to deliver keynote speech at climate-sceptic organisation's lecture". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/former-environment-secretary-owen-paterson-to-deliver-keynote-speech-at-climatesceptic-organisations-lecture-9615807.html. Retrieved 3 April 2015. 
  20. ↑ "Environment Secretary Liz Truss says climate change 'is happening'". Western Morning News. 9 January 2015. http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Environment-Secretary-Liz-Truss-says-climate/story-25829663-detail/story.html. Retrieved 3 April 2015. 
  21. ↑ Lowthorpe, Shaun (25 July 2014). "Tokenism, climate change, King's Lynn incinerator, farming and food: Q&A with Environment Secretary and Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss". Eastern Daily Press. http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/farming/tokenism-climate-change-king-s-lynn-incinerator-farming-and-food-q-a-with-environment-secretary-and-norfolk-mp-elizabeth-truss-1-3695810. Retrieved 3 April 2015. 
  22. ↑ Bowcott, Owen (21 July 2016). "Liz Truss sworn in as first ever female lord chancellor". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/21/liz-truss-first-ever-female-lord-chancellor-justice-secretary. Retrieved 30 January 2017. 
  23. ↑ Riley-Smith, Ben; Dominiczak, Peter (1 October 2016). "Legal firms pursuing troops is outrageous, says Liz Truss". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/01/legal-firms-pursuing-troops-is-outrageous-says-liz-truss/. Retrieved 26 December 2016. 
  24. ↑ Bush, Stephen (21 February 2020). "Boris Johnson may end up defined by his Henry VIII-style search for the perfect chancellor". New Statesman. https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2020/02/boris-johnson-may-end-defined-his-henry-viii-style-search-perfect-chancellor. Retrieved 24 July 2022. 
  25. ↑ Simons, Ned (15 September 2021). "Cabinet Reshuffle: Liz Truss Promoted To Foreign Secretary". HuffPost. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/cabinet-reshuffle-liz-truss-dominic-raab_uk_614203b5e4b00ff836f514da. Retrieved 15 September 2021. 
  26. ↑ Walker, Peter (10 July 2022). "Foreign Secretary Liz Truss joins Tory leadership race". BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62115709. Retrieved 10 July 2022. 
  27. ↑ Riley-Smith, Ben (10 July 2022). "Liz Truss launches leadership bid with tax cut challenge to Rishi Sunak". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/07/10/liz-truss-launches-leadership-bid-tax-cut-challenge-rishi-sunak/. Retrieved 10 July 2022. 
  28. ↑ "How Liz Truss won the Conservative leadership race". BBC News. 5 September 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-60037657. Retrieved 5 September 2022. 
  29. ↑ Hughes, David (5 September 2022). "Truss wins Tory leadership race and faces daunting challenge as PM". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/liz-truss-rishi-sunak-balmoral-boris-johnson-b2160000.html. Retrieved 5 September 2022. 
  30. ↑ Wingate, Sophie (5 September 2022). "Liz Truss to become UK's third female prime minister". The Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  31. ↑ Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace announces. BBC News. 8 September 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61585886. Retrieved 8 September 2022. 
  32. ↑ "Close friend Therese Coffey elevated to Liz Truss's second-in-command". The Independent. 2022-09-06. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  33. ↑ "Liz Truss names Thérèse Coffey new UK health chief". POLITICO. 2022-09-06. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  34. ↑ "Therese Coffey: Karaoke-loving Truss ally tasked with sorting out NHS" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2022-09-07. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62818282. Retrieved 2022-09-11. 
  35. ↑ "New cabinet: Who is in Liz Truss's top team?" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2022-09-07. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62796077. Retrieved 2022-09-11. 
  36. ↑ "UK's four great offices of state may soon not feature a white man for first time". the Guardian. 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  37. ↑ Zeffman, Henry (in en). Great offices of state set to contain no white men. ISSN 0140-0460 . https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/great-offices-of-state-set-to-contain-no-white-men-t27bjrxwj. Retrieved 2022-09-11. 
  38. ↑ Martin, Daniel (2022-09-06). "Liz Truss forms most diverse Cabinet in history with no white males in top jobs" (in en-GB). The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/09/06/liz-truss-forms-diverse-cabinet-history-white-males-absent-top/. Retrieved 2022-09-11. 
  39. ↑ Michael Savage (1 October 2022). "Liz Truss's poll ratings plummet lower than Boris Johnson's before he was forced out". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/01/liz-truss-poll-ratings-plummet-lower-than-boris-johnsons-before-he-was-forced-out. Retrieved 6 October 2022. 
  40. ↑ Yorke, Harry (in en). Liz Truss: Promises of low tax and defence spending launch her into third place. ISSN 0140-0460 . https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/liz-truss-promises-of-low-tax-and-defence-spending-launch-her-into-third-place-mjtdb7hl3. Retrieved 2022-10-22. 
  41. ↑ Sally Hickey (27 September 2022). IMF warns UK over mini-Budget tax cuts. Financial Times advisor. https://www.ftadviser.com/investments/2022/09/28/imf-warns-uk-over-mini-budget-tax-cuts/. Retrieved 29 September 2022. 
  42. ↑ "Joe Biden: Liz Truss tax cuts a 'mistake' and 'I wasn't the only one' who thought so". The Guardian. 16 October 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2022/oct/16/joe-biden-liz-truss-tax-cuts-a-mistake-and-i-wasnt-the-only-one-who-thought-so. Retrieved 16 October 2022. 
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Nevett, Joshua (14 October 2022). "Kwasi Kwarteng: PM's vision was right, says sacked chancellor". BBC News. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  44. ↑ Cohen, Patricia (2022-09-28). "Pound's Swoon Echoes Declines in British Power, Past and Present" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/28/business/economy/uk-pound-history.html. Retrieved 2022-09-30. 
  45. ↑ "Pound sinks as investors question huge tax cuts". BBC. 23 September 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63009173. Retrieved 21 October 2022. 
  46. ↑ "Mini-budget: Why financial markets have been spooked by the chancellor's growth plan". Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/mini-budget-why-financial-markets-have-been-spooked-by-chancellors-growth-plan-12703889. Retrieved 21 October 2022. 
  47. ↑ "Suella Braverman has departed role as home secretary after sharing secure information on private phone". Sky News. Retrieved 2022-10-19.
  48. ↑ "Grants Shapps replaces Suella Braverman as home secretary" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2022-10-19. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63318157. Retrieved 2022-10-19. 
  49. ↑ "Who is Liz Truss? Political journey of UK's shortest-serving prime minister". BBC News. 20 October 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-63331087. Retrieved 21 October 2022. 
  50. ↑ Culbertson, Alix (21 October 2022). "Liz Truss resigns - and will become shortest-serving prime minister in British history" (in en). Sky News. https://news.sky.com/story/liz-truss-to-resign-as-prime-minister-12723236. Retrieved 21 October 2022. 
  51. ↑ "Rishi Sunak Is Britain's Next Prime Minister. Here's What To Know". TIME. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  52. ↑ Mason, Alistair (20 October 2022). "Lettuce declares victory over Liz Truss as PM steps down". WalesOnline. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/hardy-lettuce-declares-victory-over-25312655. Retrieved 20 October 2022. 
  53. ↑ Turner, Camilla (18 October 2022). "Liz Truss most unpopular PM on record, poll finds". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/10/18/liz-truss-unpopular-pm-record-poll-finds/. 
  54. ↑ "Liz Truss approval ratings reach new lows after Tory conference", 8 October 2022. The Guardian
  55. ↑ Rowena Mason (16 October 2022). "Rees-Mogg, Coffey, and Hunt would lose seats in election, poll suggests". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/16/rees-mogg-coffey-and-hunt-would-lose-seats-in-election-poll-suggests. Retrieved 19 October 2022. 
  56. ↑ Latest GB Voting Intention. Redfield & Wilton strategies. 17 October 2022. https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-gb-voting-intention-16-october-2022/. Retrieved 19 October 2022. 
  57. ↑ "Hugh O'Leary: Who is Liz Truss's husband and the country's next first man?". MSN. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  58. ↑ Hickson & Williams 2023, p. 8.

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