Following the resignation of Boris Johnson, new Prime Minister (PM), Liz Truss has taken over office. Truss met with the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, yesterday.
The former foreign secretary, 47, was seen in an official photograph shaking hands with the monarch to accept her offer to form a new government and become the 15th PM of her 70-year reign. The symbolic ceremony held at the sovereign’s remote Balmoral retreat in the Scottish Highlands, as the Queen, 96, was deemed ‘unfit’ to return to London due to ill health.
“The Queen received in audience the right honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new administration,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
“Ms Truss accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as prime minister,” it added.
The Queen has suffered from mobility issues and it is understood the change was made to prevent the need for any last-minute rearrangements.
The last time the handover of power took place at Balmoral was in 1885, when Queen Victoria was on the throne.
Normally, the outgoing and incoming PMs meet the Queen in quick succession at Buckingham Palace in central London. It has only been held once outside London since 1952, when Winston Churchill met the new Queen at Heathrow Airport after the death of her father, King George VI.
Truss, after meeting with the Queen, went to No. 10, Downing Street to give her first official speech. She expressed her confidence that together, Britain can ride out of the storm, rebuild its economy and become the modern brilliant Britain.
She said she would ensure people can get doctor’s appointments and healthcare services they need, adding to it her plans to deal ‘hands-on’ with the energy crisis caused by the Russian/Ukraine war.
Truss, who had served in various Cabinet positions under Prime Ministers like David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, was expected to start naming her cabinet members as she addressed the nation, but she did not.
The appointments are due to be finalised today (Wednesday) before she hosts her first cabinet meeting and faces questions in parliament later today.
Truss, who was initially opposed to Brexit, eventually became one of its most conspicuous and avid supporters after the referendum in 2016. There has been a strained relationship between Britain and the EU, and all eyes will be on Truss to see how she navigates the tricky waters following the current status.
