UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has joined the race to become the next prime minister, outlining her vision for Britain and the Conservative party in an op-ed published by the Daily Telegraph on Sunday.
“We face huge challenges at home amid the global economic crisis. We face huge challenges abroad, from an aggressive Russia to an increasingly assertive China,” she wrote, vowing to govern as a Conservative if she is picked for the top job.
Truss said that she would be a prime minister that “can lead, deliver and make the tough decisions,” while touting her experience as a Brexit negotiator, trade and foreign secretary, who helped slap sanctions on Russia for its military offensive in Ukraine.
“As foreign secretary, I have helped to lead the international response to Putin’s war in Ukraine and delivered a tough sanctions package that has led the world, by imposing real pain on Putin and the Kremlin,” she said.
Truss also promised to start slashing taxes to help the UK withstand a soaring cost of living crisis and attract investment. At the same time, she intends to get private enterprise growing faster than the public sector and, in the long-term, to cut down on the size of the state.
By announcing her leadership bid, Truss has joined a packed race to replace Boris Johnson who announced on Thursday that he would step down as prime minister following a flurry of scandals and a wave of resignations of senior cabinet members.
Other prominent contenders include Britain’s former chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, former health secretary Sajid Javid, UK Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat, trade minister Penny Mordaunt and former foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt. Another apparent frontrunner, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, however, announced that he would not stand in the party election after “careful consideration.”