Liz Truss has held ministerial positions in several departments, including trade, justice, and the treasury.
London:
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss entered the race to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister on Monday, bringing the number of candidates to 11 in an increasingly bitter and unpredictable contest.
Truss, who has held ministerial positions in several government departments including trade, justice and the treasury, said she would slash taxes and maintain a tough stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
She wants to replace Johnson, who was ousted by her government on Thursday after being implicated in a series of scandals. The rules for the leadership election will be determined later on Monday, with the goal of finding a successor by September.
“Under my leadership, I will begin cutting taxes from day one to take immediate action to help people cope with the cost of living,” Truss wrote in the Daily Telegraph. “It’s not right to tax now.”
The race for a new leader followed one of the most remarkable periods in modern British political history, when more than 50 government ministers stepped down, condemning Johnson’s character, integrity and inability to tell the truth.
With many lawmakers unhappy to remain in office until Johnson’s successor is found, the party is likely to speed up the election process. It may stress that candidates have the support of around 30 lawmakers to enter the process, reducing the number to two before voting begins this week.
About 200,000 members of the Conservative Party will choose a winner after weeks across the country.
Former finance minister Rishi Sunak is leading the way, but it has vowed his rivals to attack his economic record and cut taxes, even if it pushes government borrowing higher.
An MP confirmed that a dossier criticizing Sunak’s record was circulating on the MP’s WhatsApp groups.
Nadim Jahvi, appointed finance minister in last week’s turmoil, said he was also being maligned by his rivals after media reports raised questions about the former businessman’s personal finances and tax records.
“I was clearly being indulged,” he told Sky News on Monday. “I was being told that the Serious Fraud Office, that the National Crime Agency, that the HMRC (tax office) are looking at me. I am not aware of that. I have always declared my taxes, I have paid my taxes in the UK “
Other candidates include Attorney General Suella Braverman, former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, former Health and Finance Minister Sajid Javid and Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps.
A Conservative member of parliament said he was surprised to see his people enter a leadership contest.
“I shouldn’t be surprised by the ambitions and delusion of some of my colleagues, but I am,” he said. “I hope we will narrow down the list of candidates very quickly.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)