Tory leadership: How Liz Truss was chosen as PM

Liz Truss has been announced as the UK’s next prime minister, after winning the Conservative Party leadership.

She was chosen by a vote among party members, who make up less than 1% of the UK population.

*When does Liz Truss become prime minister?*

Ms Truss was revealed as the winner of the leadership contest by Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbench MPs.

She won 81,326 votes, compared with 60,399 for former chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Boris Johnson is due to announce his resignation to the Queen on Tuesday. Shortly after this, Ms Truss will be appointed by the monarch as the new PM

Constitutionally, there must be a prime minister at all times. So, Mr Johnson remains in post until his successor formally takes over.

Normally a new prime minister is invited to Buckingham Palace to be appointed by the Queen – on advice of the ruling party.

However, in a break from tradition, the Queen will instead stay in Balmoral and both Mr Johnson and Ms Truss will travel to Scotland to meet her there.

*Who picked the next Tory leader and prime minister?*

Conservative Party members picked the winner – in a choice between Ms Truss and Mr Sunak.

To try to win their votes, Mr Sunak and Ms Truss spent the summer taking part in hustings events around the UK, where they were questioned about their policies.

The events were open to Conservative members and were streamed on the party’s website. Journalists were allowed to attend – but couldn’t ask questions.

*Will there be a general election?*

When a prime minister resigns, there isn’t automatically a general election.

When Theresa May took over from David Cameron in 2016, for example, she decided not to call an immediate election.

If Ms Truss chooses not to call an early election, the next one will have to be held by January 2025 at the latest.

*How did voting work?*

The ballot of party members closed on Friday 2 September.

To be able to vote, Conservative members had to have joined the party on or before 3 June 2022.

Eligible members could vote by post or online.

Originally they were going to be able to vote twice, with only their second vote – cast either online or by post – counted.

But after the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned there was a risk that a foreign state could try to interfere in the process, the party decided that members would be allowed to vote only once.

There were 172,437 members who were eligible to vote in the 2022 contest and turnout was 82.6%.

*What powers does Boris Johnson still have?*

Until he goes to the Queen and formally resigns, in theory Mr Johnson keeps all his powers.

However, in reality, he lacks the authority to introduce substantial new policies, and promised his cabinet that he would not make any “major changes of direction”.

One of his final acts in office is likely to be awarding knighthoods and appointments to the House of Lords in his resignation honours list.

*How were the final two candidates selected?*

The Conservative Party’s 357 eligible MPs held a series of votes. The candidate polling the lowest number was eliminated in each round, until only two remained:

• Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak

• Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

The six candidates knocked out were:

• Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt (fifth ballot)

• Former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch (fourth ballot)

• Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat (third ballot)

• Attorney General Suella Braverman (second ballot)

• Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi (first ballot)

• Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt (first ballot)

New Prime Minister Liz Truss expected to freeze energy bills

New Prime Minister Liz Truss used her victory speech to pledge to “deliver on the energy crisis” by dealing with bills as well as supplies.

A freeze on energy bills is understood to be one of a number of options being worked up in Whitehall to help struggling households to cope with the soaring cost of gas and electricity.

Energy industry sources expect the government to back freezing bills.

Ms Truss won out against rival Rishi Sunak with 57% of party member votes.

“I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills but also dealing with the long term issues we have on energy supply,” she said.

In response, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “There can be no justification for not freezing energy prices.

“There’s a political consensus that needs to happen. She needs to ask the question how she’s going to pay for that. Labour made it clear, it needs to be a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.”

Ms Truss’s team is understood to have been working on a support package for energy bills “for weeks”. An announcement on what they will do is pencilled in for this Thursday.

“Lots of measures have been considered, some have progressed and some have not” a source said. Her team have not denied they might introduce a freeze on energy bills.

There have been multiple meetings between the government and the energy industry.

Nadhim Zahawi, the current chancellor who is expected to stay on in another role, is understood to have been involved in conversations with industry leaders about the plan on a recent trip to the US.

Business groups welcomed Ms Truss’s appointment but urged her to take “big bold action” to help firms who, unlike households, are not protected by an energy price cap.

Federation of Small Businesses chairman Martin McTague said soaring energy bills “must be addressed urgently.”

CBI director general, Tony Danker, said: “The exceptional circumstances we now face mean Government must play a central role in supporting our economy.

*‘Difficult times’*

A freeze of the energy price cap – the limit on how much gas and electricity can cost in England, Scotland and Wales – would not necessarily require upfront government funding at the beginning.

In an article for the Financial Times, Ms Truss’ close ally, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said a government led by her will borrow more to help people this winter through “exceptionally difficult times” during the energy price shock.

Mr Kwarteng – tipped to be named chancellor by Ms Truss – suggested he would look at the UK’s rules on government borrowing and spending – called fiscal rules – to see if they still work for the economy.

The Treasury is allowed to suspend its fiscal rules in the event of a “significant negative shock to the UK economy”.

However, Mr Kwarteng sought to reassure markets that the UK had space to borrow more and that it would be done in a “fiscally responsible way”.

During the leadership race, Ms Truss said she would reverse a 1.25% rise in National Insurance and would suspend an increase in corporation tax – the measures will cost a combined £30bn.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the National Insurance cut would be of greater benefit to higher earners rather than those on lower income.

During an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Truss said it was fair to give higher earners more money back through tax cuts. and recent Tory policy had failed to grow the economy.

▪︎ Reports by BBC.com