Truss promises to ‘deliver for our country’ as she says she expects next general election in 2024Truss goes on:
During this leadership campaign, I campaigned as a Conservative and I will govern as a Conservative.
And my friends, we need to show that we will deliver over the next two years.
I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy.
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.
And I will deliver on the National Health Service.
But we all will deliver for our country. And I will make sure that we use all the fantastic talents of the Conservative party, our brilliant members of parliament and peers, our fantastic councillors, our MSs, our MSPs, all of our councillors and activists and members right across our country. Because, my friends, I know that we will deliver, we will deliver and we will deliver.
And we will deliver a great victory for the Conservative party in 2024. Thank you.
The reference to an election in 2024 should quash speculation about Truss calling an earlier election (not that it was every very plausible in the first place).
And that is it. Truss’s speech has finished.
Key events
There was some booing from people outside as Liz Truss entered CCHQ after being elected as the new Tory leader. Here is the clip.
‘Boris Johnson round two’: Liz Truss booed as she enters party headquarters – videoUrsula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has congratulated Liz Truss on her election as the next prime minister – whilst stressing that the EU expects the UK to abide by its Brexit agreements. Von der Leyen included this line because Truss, as foreign secretary, introduced the Northern Ireland protocol bill, which would allow the UK government to abandon parts of the protocol, in breach of its deal with the EU.
Congratulations @trussliz.
The EU and the UK are partners.
We face many challenges together, from climate change to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
I look forward to a constructive relationship, in full respect of our agreements.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 5, 2022 Maroš Šefčovič, the European commission vice president in charge of Brexit negotiations with the UK, has delivered the same message.
Congratulations @trussliz. A positive 🇪🇺🇬🇧 relationship is of great strategic importance. I stand ready to work intensively and constructively with my new UK interlocutor to foster such a partnership, in full respect of our agreements.
— Maroš Šefčovič🇪🇺 (@MarosSefcovic) September 5, 2022 Conservative co-chair Ben Elliot resigns, reports sayBen Elliot, the Conservative party co-chair who masterminded Tory fundraising under Boris Johnson, has resigned, the Mail on Sunday’s Glen Owen reports.
Elliot, a nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall, has been a controversial figure at CCHQ. Earlier this year Keir Starmer called for his resignation because of the links his concierge company, Quintessentially, had with Russian oligarchs.
Lisa O’Carroll
The British Chambers of Commerce wants Liz Truss to introduce Covid-style support for small to medium sized businesses who risk going under in the energy crisis.
It has one of five demands BCC is making of the new PM which also include: a cut in VAT to 5%; more powers for Ofgem; a temporary reverse in the national insurance rise; and an immediate review of the shortage occupation list, which was brought in after Brexit to stop low-skilled workers coming to Britain from overseas.
“We believe the country has already entered a recession,” said the BCC chair, Sarah Howard. “She must now take immediate steps to support the economy.”
During the leadership contest Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, deputy PM and Rishi Sunak supporter, infuriated the Liz Truss camp by describing her economic policy at the time as an “electoral suicide note” in a Times article. Now he says the party must support her.
The “suicide note” claim resulted in Truss’s allies claiming that Raab would definitely be sacked if she won the contest. But Raab was writing at a time when Truss was still saying she would not use “handouts” to help people deal with rising energy bills. Only a day after the Raab article appeared, Truss concluded a U-turn, and made it clear that she would do everything she could to help people with the cost of living. Perhaps she concluded that Raab was right about the flaw with her strategy.
Tomorrow night, at 8pm, Guardian Live is hosting an online discussion on what Liz Truss’s election as PM will mean for the UK. The panel will be chaired by Hugh Muir and will include our chief political correspondent, Jessica Elgot, columnist Owen Jones and a former special adviser to Sajid Javid, Salma Shah. You can read more details of the event, and where to get tickets, here.
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, says he is praying for Liz Truss as she takes over the leadership of the country.
I am praying for Liz Truss as she takes on the great responsibilities of leadership at a time of such significant challenges.
May God guide her, and all who serve in our political life, towards His hope for our nation, and particular care for those who are vulnerable.
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) September 5, 2022 And David Cameron, the Conservative former prime minister, has also offered his congratulations to Liz Truss. He urges all Tories to unite behind her.
Many congratulations to new PM @trussliz. At this time of challenge & global uncertainty, I wish the new government well. I never forget the support I had from all former Conservative leaders when I won the ballot in 2005 & I hope all Conservatives will unite behind the new PM.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) September 5, 2022 Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has urged Liz Truss to freeze energy bills following her election as Tory leader and next PM.
Congratulations to Liz Truss. Our political differences are deep, but I will seek to build a good working relationship with her as I did with last 3 PMs.
She must now freeze energy bills for people & businesses, deliver more cash support, and increase funding for public services
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 5, 2022 In a reference to a report in the Sunday Times yesterday claiming that Truss is considering passing a law saying a vote for Scottish independence would only be valid if 50% of those entitled to vote were in favour, not just a majority of those actually voting, Sturgeon also says that only 47% of Tory members voted for Truss.
47% of the total electorate – worth noting that if the principles of her mooted new referendum law applied here, her election would be invalid t.co/fYMDgLQdWe
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) September 5, 2022 Theresa May, the Conservative former prime minister, has congratulated Liz Truss on her victory. May says she looks forward to supporting the government if it is “delivering for those in need and managing the public finances responsibly”.
Congratulations @TrussLiz.
We @Conservatives must now work together to address the challenges facing our country. Tackling the cost of living, delivering for those in need & managing the public finances responsibly. I look forward to supporting the government in that task.
— Theresa May (@theresa_may) September 5, 2022 It is not clear from May’s tweet that she is 100% confident that these will be two of Truss’s priorities. Only this morning Kwasi Kwarteng, who is set to be chancellor in Truss’s government, signalled that she would let borrowing rise in the short term and prioritise tax cuts for the wealthy over redistribution. (See 9.23am.)
From Darren McCaffrey from GB News
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has responded to Liz Truss’s election as Tory leader and next PM by calling for a general election.
Under Liz Truss, we’re set to see more of the same crisis and chaos as under Boris Johnson. From the cost of living emergency to the NHS crisis, the Conservatives have shown they don’t care, and have no plan.
It’s time to scrap the energy price hike then call a General Election.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) September 5, 2022 And this is what Keir Starmer has tweeted about Liz Truss’ election as the new Tory leader.
I’d like to congratulate our next Prime Minister Liz Truss as she prepares for office.
But after 12 years of the Tories all we have to show for it is low wages, high prices, and a Tory cost of living crisis.
Only Labour can deliver the fresh start our country needs.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 5, 2022 Keir Starmer has described Liz Truss as “out of touch” and “not on the side of working people”. Responding to her election as Conservative leader and next PM, the Labour leader told reporters on a visit to a school in north London:
We’ve heard far more from the latest prime minister about cuts to corporation tax over the summer than we have about the cost-of-living crisis, the single most important thing that’s bearing down on so many millions of households.
That shows not only that she’s out of touch, but she’s not on the side of working people. So she needs to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, she needs to deal with the fact the NHS is on its knees, and she needs to deal with the collapse of law and order.
Keir Starmer visiting Friern Barnet school in London this morning. Photograph: James Manning/PARishi Sunak has posted a message on Twitter urging Tories to unite behind Liz Truss.
Thank you to everyone who voted for me in this campaign.
I’ve said throughout that the Conservatives are one family.
It’s right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country through difficult times.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 5, 2022 Boris Johnson has used Twitter to offer his congratulations to Liz Truss. But he started off by talking about himself.
Congratulations to @trussliz on her decisive win. I know she has the right plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of uniting and levelling up our country. Now is the time for all Conservatives to get behind her 100 per cent.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 5, 2022 I have been proud to serve as leader of the Conservative Party for the last three years, winning the biggest majority for decades, getting Brexit done, overseeing the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe and giving vital support to Ukraine.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 5, 2022 Truss’s victory speech – snap verdictOn the plus side, the speech that Liz Truss delivered at the QEII Centre a few minutes ago (see 12.41pm, 12.44pm and 12.51pm), does not matter very much. The more important one will be the one she delivers outside Downing Street (or inside if it is raining, as looks likely) tomorrow afternoon, after her audience with the Queen where she will be asked to form a government. We know that Truss is quick learner; after a dire performance in the first TV debate of the campaign, she spent a day rehearsing and was much, much better in the second one, two days later.
But this speech was still significant. For some people it will help shape their first impression of Truss, and it was surprisingly bad. The delivery was wooden and the content was bland. Apart from saying she expects the next general election to be in 2024, she did not say anything memorable. And in the first speech of her leadership, she sounded like a cut-price version of Boris Johnson. She addressed the audience as “friends” (a Johnson mannerism) and she praised him lavishly – even though she could not trigger the applause at the right moment (a mistake that Johnson would never make). So much for a new start.
The main problem, though, was that at the point where she needs to start communicating with the country at large, she was addressing her remarks entirely to the party. She was speaking at a party event, and so perhaps that is understandable. But people across the country want to know that a person elected PM by just 80,000 Conservative party members is going to address the concerns of all voters, particularly on the cost of living. Truss could have used this speech to convey that point, but she didn’t.
Liz Truss delivering her victory speech at the QEII Centre. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PATruss elected with 57.4% of vote – lower margin than any previous Tory leader chosen by membersLiz Truss got 57.4% of the vote, and Rishi Sunak received 42.6%. That means, of the four Conservative party leaders elected after a ballot of the whole membership, she is the only one to have secured less than 60% of the vote.
At 82.6%, the turnout was lower than it was in the ballot that saw Boris Johnson elected in 2019. But it was higher than in 2001 and in 2005 (when the party was in opposition, and the result counted for less.)
In 2001 Iain Duncan Smith beat Ken Clarke in the final ballot with 60.7% of the vote over Clarke’s 39.3%. Turnout was 78.3%.
In 2005 David Cameron beat David Davis in the final ballot with 67.6% of the vote over Davis’s 32.3%. Turnout was 78.4%.
And in 2019 Boris Johnson beat Jeremy Hunt in the final ballot with 66.4% of the vote over Hunt’s 33.6%. Turnout was 87.4%
Truss promises to ‘deliver for our country’ as she says she expects next general election in 2024Truss goes on:
During this leadership campaign, I campaigned as a Conservative and I will govern as a Conservative.
And my friends, we need to show that we will deliver over the next two years.
I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy.
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.
And I will deliver on the National Health Service.
But we all will deliver for our country. And I will make sure that we use all the fantastic talents of the Conservative party, our brilliant members of parliament and peers, our fantastic councillors, our MSs, our MSPs, all of our councillors and activists and members right across our country. Because, my friends, I know that we will deliver, we will deliver and we will deliver.
And we will deliver a great victory for the Conservative party in 2024. Thank you.
The reference to an election in 2024 should quash speculation about Truss calling an earlier election (not that it was every very plausible in the first place).
And that is it. Truss’s speech has finished.