Liz Truss has been warned there is “no more time to waste” on tackling the cost of living crisis after defeating Tory leader Rishi Sunak in a hard-fought six-week race to succeed Boris Johnson. The Foreign Secretary faced warnings of one of the toughest domestic records of any new prime minister in decades as she was handed the keys to No 10 at Balmoral on Tuesday, with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford among many to insist “action is needed now”. to “Save millions from hardship this winter.” Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Commission, announced on Monday that Ms Truss had won the contest with 57 per cent of the vote – the smallest margin of any Tory leader appointed by party members, in a race characterized by blue to blue attacks. and dire warnings about her financial plans. Contrary to her campaign rhetoric, reports suggest Ms Truss is considering freezing energy bills if she wins the keys to No 10, with The Times suggesting the package could be on the scale of the Covid leave scheme introduced by Mr Sunak when he was chancellor.
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The First Man: Who Is Liz Truss’s Husband Hugh O’Leary?
Liz Truss will be joined at No 10 by Hugh O’Leary, her husband, who has largely stayed out of the public eye during his wife’s rise to the top of British public life. The accountant and soon-to-be new first man has his own political story to tell, although his career with the Conservatives took a completely different trajectory than his wife’s at an early stage. Born in 1974, O’Leary reportedly grew up in Allerton, Liverpool and went on to study at the London School of Economics. He met his future wife at the Conservative Party conference in 1997. Mr O’Leary stood as the Tory candidate in the local elections in Greenwich in 2002, polling just 447 votes to edge out his Labor rivals. He continued to play a part in the party, according to the Times, filming until this year in Greenwich, where he and Ms Truss have a home. Things were not always simple for the couple. Ms Truss’s public image hit the rocks in 2006 after it was revealed she had been having an affair with married Tory MP Mark Field. Her bid for the Norfolk seat three years later narrowly survived an attempt by local Tory union traditionalists to deselect her after the ordeal. According to the BBC, he said at the time of the controversy: “It’s been public for a few years. “I’m really sorry about that [affair]. It’s a mistake I made and it’s water under the bridge as far as my husband and I are concerned.” Mr O’Leary stood by his wife. Join O-Leary in announcing the winner of the leadership race today (POOL/AFP/Getty) Liam James5 September 2022 17:21 1662393900
A little more from Wes Streeting here, appearing on the BBC shortly after Liz Truss was announced as the new Conservative leader. Mr Streeting continues to be one of the most prominent voices on the Labor frontbench. Liam James5 September 2022 17:05 1662393607
Truss and ‘arsonists’ tell her they can put out the fire, Streeting says
Labour’s Wes Streeting compared incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss and her supporters to a “gang of arsonists” who are asking the country to trust them to “put out the fire” on the cost of living crisis and other issues. Reacting to the news of Mrs Truss’ victory, the shadow health secretary said: “No surprise that Liz Truss won the Conservative leadership contest, I think the biggest surprise is that she won with a smaller percentage of Conservative MPs than any new Conservative prime minister. and a smaller percentage of Conservative party members. “Our concern is that after a summer of talking exclusively to Conservative party members, he is now going to start talking exclusively to Conservative MPs, instead of doing what he should be doing, which is talking directly to the country, addressing the big issues that confront us – the cost of living crisis, rising energy bills, the biggest crisis in the history of the NHS and the breakdown of law and order. “I think the challenge that Liz Truss faces is that she’s part of a gang of arsonists who are saying to the country, ‘trust me to put out the fire,’ and I’m not sure they’re going to buy that.” Liam James5 September 2022 17:00 1662393104
Johnson and Zelensky ‘agree to stay in touch’
A Downing Street spokeswoman said Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the last time as prime minister this afternoon to thank him for his leadership and friendship. “The Prime Minister said he was confident that Ukrainian forces could continue to succeed in pushing back Russian forces and added that the UK remains steadfast in its support,” No 10 said. “The prime minister told President Zelensky that it was a privilege to work with him and support him, and the leaders agreed to stay in close contact as friends.” The pair spoke frequently and met several times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Liam James5 September 2022 16:51 1662391572
Priti Patel tells MPs to ‘shut up’ as her legacy as home secretary dictates
Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports: Priti Patel told opposition MPs to “shut up” in an angry exchange in the Commons as she presented her legacy as home secretary. Priti Patel tells MPs to ‘shut up’ as she defends her record The cabinet minister – widely expected to be replaced by Suella Braverman on Tuesday after Liz Truss won the Tory leadership – has defended her record over the past three years. He said her record at the Home Office included “some of the biggest security, immigration and public safety reforms” in a generation. Asked by Labour, Lib Dem and SNP MPs on the opposition benches, Ms Patel replied: “Shut up”, before adding that she was “proud” to serve in Boris Johnson’s government.
Priti Patel tells MPs to ‘shut up’ as she lays out her legacy
Outgoing minister says she is ‘proud’ of record three years in charge of Home Office Andy Gregory5 September 2022 16:26 1662390755
“There is no more time to waste” in addressing the cost-of-living crisis, Truss said
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford urged Liz Truss to work with him to “save millions from hardship this winter”. Congratulating Ms Truss on winning the Tory leadership contest, Mr Drakeford warned there was “no more time to waste” on the cost of living crisis, saying: “Action is needed now”. Andy Gregory5 September 2022 16:12 1662390479
The biggest threat to Truss’s premiership may come from her predecessor, the academic suggests
Sitting at the top of the British government “is as brutal as it is demanding” and Liz Truss’ biggest threat may well come from her predecessor, a politics professor has suggested. “Liz Truss clearly matured and developed as the leadership election progressed, possibly enjoying the latter stages,” said Matthew Flinders, from the University of Sheffield. “But the campaign to get to No10 is the easy part – governing at the top of the British government is as brutal as it is demanding. Not only does he face an overflowing in-tray, with the cost of living crisis on top, but he also faces the arguably impossible task of managing Boris Johnson. “The paradox of the Truss premiership is that his greatest threat may well exist under a familiar mop of blond ambition as Boris Johnson plays a strategic game of trying to bounce back.” Andy Gregory5 September 2022 16:07 1662389278
Voters may not trust Truss and ‘gang of arsonists’ to fix country’s crises, says Wes Streeting
Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has compared incoming prime minister Liz Truss and her supporters to a “gang of arsonists” who are asking the country to trust them to “put out the fire”. Reacting to the news of Ms Truss’ victory, Mr Streeting told the Press Association news agency: “No surprise that Liz Truss won the Conservative leadership contest, I think the biggest surprise is that she won with less Conservative MPs than any incoming Conservative prime minister and a smaller percentage of Conservative party members. “Our concern is that after a summer of talking exclusively to Conservative party members, he is now going to start talking exclusively to Conservative MPs, instead of doing what he should be doing, which is talking directly to the country, addressing the big issues that confront us – the cost of living crisis, rising energy bills, the biggest crisis in the history of the NHS and the breakdown of law and order. “I think the challenge that Liz Truss faces is that she’s part of a gang of arsonists who are saying to the country, ‘trust me to put out the fire,’ and I’m not sure they’re going to buy that.” Andy Gregory5 September 2022 15:47 1662389045
Tory party co-chairman resigns after Truss victory
Ben Elliott, an ally of Boris Johnson, resigned as co-chairman of the Conservative Party after Liz Truss was elected leader. It comes days after Labor leader Anneliese Dodds urged the next prime minister to begin the process of “cleaning up the dirty Tory Party” by “removing Ben Elliott as chairman and finally clarifying who belongs to the shadow group of mega-donors.” set up”. Mail+ reported that a friend of Mr Elliott said his ‘own initiative and contacts’ were responsible for more than a third of the donor income, adding: ‘Ben’s departure is a huge loss for the party. Fundraising is more important than ever to fund party campaigns and will be critical in the next election. “He is leaving because he recognizes that Liz will want the freedom to appoint her own chair and he wants to spend more time focusing on his businesses.” Elliott himself was quoted by the newspaper as saying: “I would like to thank Boris Johnson for appointing me and wish Liz Truss every…
