Liz Truss officially becomes British prime minister after meeting Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
Liz Truss has become Britain's third female prime minister after meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral, in Scotland.
She will head to Downing Street to deliver her first speech in office, just hours after Boris Johnson used his farewell address to pledge “fervent support” to his successor.
Ms Truss followed Mr Johnson to the Queen’s Scottish estate and, shortly after he tendered his resignation, she had an audience with the monarch to become the 15th prime minister of her reign.
Ms Truss’ top priority will be to deliver a package of support for households and businesses facing crippling energy costs, with speculation she is working on a plan to freeze bills which could cost tens of billions.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin congratulated Ms Truss on becoming the next British prime minister, saying he hopes to reach an agreement on issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Mr Martin said in a statement: “I wish to extend my congratulations to Liz Truss on her appointment today as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“A shared history and close ties of people, of economy, and of culture link our two countries.
“A strong partnership between our two governments is vital to underpin the Good Friday Agreement and support peace and prosperity on these islands.
“I hope we can use the period ahead to prioritise EU-UK engagement and to reach agreed outcomes on the issues around implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“I am committed to a strong and deep relationship between our countries, and to working in an open and constructive way with Prime Minister Truss.
“I look forward to our close co-operation and early engagement as we face important issues on these islands and globally.”
Meanwhile, in his farewell speech, Mr Johnson said his successor’s administration will do “everything we can” to help people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
Mr Johnson said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “utterly deluded” if he thinks he can succeed by “blackmailing and bullying” the British public through restricting gas supplies, driving up world prices.
“We have and will continue to have that economic strength to give people the cash they need to get through this energy crisis that has been caused by Putin’s vicious war,” he said.
“I know that Liz Truss and this compassionate Conservative government will do everything we can to get people through this crisis, and this country will endure it and we will win.”
Ms Truss won the contest to succeed Mr Johnson as Tory leader on Monday and will address the nation from Downing Street later on Tuesday as prime minister, although forecast storms mean she may have to do it from inside No 10.
A calm morning in Westminster meant Mr Johnson, watched by wife Carrie and supportive MPs including Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg, was able to deliver his farewell address from a lectern outside the black front door of No 10.
In a sign of lingering resentment at the manner in which he was forced out, Mr Johnson said “the baton will be handed over in what has unexpectedly turned out to be a relay race – they changed the rules halfway through, but never mind that now”.
He said his career is now like a booster rocket “that has fulfilled its function and I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific”.
Mr Johnson declared “like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough” – a reference is to ancient Roman statesman Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus.
Before entering No 10, an ambitious Mr Johnson had frequently said he would serve as prime minister if he was “called from my plough” like the Roman.
Mr Johnson said: “I will be offering this Government nothing but my most fervent support”, calling for Tories to unite behind the new leader at a “tough time for the economy”.
“I say to my fellow Conservatives, it’s time for politics to be over, folks,” he said.
“It’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team, and her programme, and deliver for the people of this country.
“Because that is what the people of this country want. That’s what they need.
“And that’s what they deserve.”
He added that if Dilyn, the Johnsons’ dog, and Larry, the No 10 cat, “can put behind them their occasional difficulties, then so can the Conservative Party”.
As well as her speech in Downing Street, Ms Truss will begin putting in place her team of ministers, with key allies and supporters already pencilled in for some of the most senior roles, including business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, who is widely expected to be given the crucial role of chancellor.
Ms Truss’s first major policy priority will be delivering a package of support for households struggling with energy bills which are set to soar even higher next month.
The Daily Telegraph reported that among the measures under consideration is a scheme to freeze bills until the next general election in 2024 while the Times suggested the measures could also apply to businesses whose energy prices are not covered by the household cap.
Details have yet to be announced, with Bloomberg suggesting the Truss administration could directly fix a new unit price that households will pay for electricity and gas, with regulator Ofgem sidelined from its role in setting the price cap.
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