Biography
Mary Elizabeth Truss, popularly known as Liz Truss, is a British politician who was the leader of the Conservative Party and served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for 45 days.
Age
The female politician was born on July 26, 1975. Going by her date of birth, she is currently 47 years old (as at 2022).
Husband and Children
In 2000, Truss married Hugh O’Leary, a fellow accountant; the couple has two daughters.
From 2004 until mid-2005, she had an extra-marital affair with the married MP Mark Field, whom the Conservative Party had appointed as her political mentor.
However, her marriage with O’Leary survived the affair.
Education
Truss attended Merton College, Oxford, and was President of Oxford University Liberal Democrats. In 1996, she both graduated and joined the Conservative Party.
Career before politics
From 1996 to 2000, Truss worked for Shell, during which time she qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) in 1999.
In 2000, Truss was employed by Cable & Wireless and rose to economic director before leaving in 2005.
After losing her first two elections, Truss became the full-time deputy director of Reform in January 2008, where she advocated more rigorous academic standards in schools, a greater focus on tackling serious and organised crime, and urgent action to deal with Britain’s falling competitiveness.
She co-authored The Value of Mathematics, Fit for Purpose, A New Level, and Back To Black: Budget 2009 Paper, among other reports.
Political career
Truss was elected for South West Norfolk at the 2010 general election. As a backbencher, she called for reform in several policy areas including childcare, mathematics education and the economy.
She founded the Free Enterprise Group of Conservative MPs and wrote or co-wrote several papers and books, including After the Coalition (2011) and Britannia Unchained (2012).
Before she won the seat of the UK’s PM, she was serving as as the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2021 and Minister for Women and Equalities since 2019.
A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Norfolk since 2010. She has served in various Cabinet positions under Prime Ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Truss served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education from 2012 to 2014, before being appointed to the Cabinet by Cameron as Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the 2014 cabinet reshuffle.
Though she was a supporter of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union in the 2016 referendum, she supported Brexit after the result.
After Cameron resigned in July 2016, Truss was appointed Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor by May, becoming the first female Lord Chancellor in the thousand-year history of the office.
Following the 2017 general election, Truss was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury. After May resigned in 2019, Truss supported Johnson’s bid to become Conservative leader.
He appointed Truss as Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade.
She took on the additional Minister for Women and Equalities role in September 2019. She moved from the Department for International Trade to be promoted to Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs in the 2021 cabinet reshuffle. She was appointed the Government’s chief negotiator with the European Union and UK chair of the EU–UK Partnership Council in December 2021.
Truss won the Conservative Party leadership election on 5 September 2022, beating her rival Rishi Sunak.
She was appointed Prime Minister on 6 September 2022.
How many days did Truss spent as UK’s PM?
Truss dramatically resigned as prime minister on October 20, 2022 – 45 days in the job.
Her resignation came just a little over 24 hours after she told MPs she was a “fighter, not a quitter.”
Truss resignation speech and video
In a brief speech outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said the Conservative Party had elected her on a mandate to cut taxes and boost economic growth.
But given the situation, Ms Truss said: “I recognise that I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”
Ms Truss said she would remain in post until a successor formally takes over as party leader and is appointed prime minister by King Charles III.
Watch Truss resignation VIDEO.
Transcript of Liz Truss resignation speech (as it was delivered)
I came into office at a time of great economic and international instability.
Families and businesses were worried about how to pay their bills.
Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine threatens the security of our whole continent.
And our country had been held back for too long by low economic growth.
I was elected by the Conservative Party with a mandate to change this.
We delivered on energy bills and on cutting national insurance.
And we set out a vision for a low tax, high growth economy – that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit.
I recognise though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.
I have therefore spoken to His Majesty The King to notify him that I am resigning as Leader of the Conservative Party.
This morning I met the Chair of the 1922 Committee Sir Graham Brady.
We have agreed there will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week.
This will ensure we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.
I will remain as Prime Minister until a successor has been chosen.
Thank you.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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