Liz Truss

Liz Truss is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. Her tenure, which followed the resignation of Boris Johnson, was the shortest in British history, marked by significant economic turmoil. Prior to her premiership, she held several senior cabinet positions, including Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Secretary of State for International Trade.

Early life and education

Mary Elizabeth Truss was born in Oxford on 26 July 1975, to academic parents. She spent part of her childhood in Paisley, Scotland, and later attended Roundhay School in Leeds. During her youth, she was briefly a member of the Liberal Democrats and advocated for republican views. She studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Merton College, Oxford, where she was active in the Oxford University Liberal Democrats before joining the Conservative Party. After graduating, she worked as an accountant for Shell and later as economics director for the think tank Reform.

Political career

Elected as the MP for South West Norfolk in the 2010 general election, she entered the House of Commons. She served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education from 2012 to 2014 under Prime Minister David Cameron. In 2014, she was promoted to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a role she held until 2016. Following the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister, she served as Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, and later as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Under Boris Johnson, she was appointed Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade, championing post-Brexit trade deals, and simultaneously served as Minister for Women and Equalities. In September 2021, she became Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, dealing with major international issues including the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Premiership

Following the resignation of Boris Johnson, she was elected Conservative leader in September 2022 and appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle. Her government, led by Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng, unveiled a mini-budget featuring significant unfunded tax cuts, which triggered severe market instability, a plunge in the value of the Pound sterling, and a crisis in the UK gilt market. Facing immense political pressure, she dismissed Kwarteng and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt, who reversed most of her economic policies. With her authority shattered, she announced her resignation on 20 October 2022, serving a total of 49 days in office. She was succeeded by Rishi Sunak.

Political positions

Ideologically, she identifies as a Conservative and a Thatcherite, advocating for free-market economic policies, tax reduction, and deregulation. She was a prominent supporter of Brexit and during her tenure as Secretary of State for International Trade pursued new agreements with countries like Japan and Australia. In foreign policy, she took a hardline stance against China and was a staunch supporter of Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her brief premiership was defined by a radical economic agenda that drew heavily from Trussonomics, a term coined for her proposed policies of significant borrowing and tax cuts to stimulate growth.

Personal life

She is married to accountant Hugh O'Leary, whom she met while both were working at Shell. The couple have two daughters and live in Norfolk. She has authored several publications, including co-writing the 2012 book *Britannia Unchained* with fellow Conservative MPs Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, and Chris Skidmore, which argued for radical economic liberalization. Her interests include cooking and she has participated in television programmes such as *Celebrity Bake Off*.

Category:Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom Category:Leaders of the Conservative Party (UK) Category:Living people