Liz Truss Has Officially Become Prime Minister After Meeting The Queen
The Queen has sworn in Liz Truss as the UK's prime minister.
3 min read
Liz Truss has officially entered office as UK Prime Minister after attending the "kissing hands" ceremony with the Queen at Balmoral.
Truss, who was confirmed as winner of the Conservative leadership contest by a narrower than expected margin on Monday, has now officially taken office. Truss is expected to give her first public speech as Prime Minister from Downing Street later today at 4pm.
Truss narrowly beat rival Rishi Sunak with votes from 81,326 Conservative party members to Sunak's 60,339.
Earlier this morning, former prime minister Boris Johnson also travelled to Balmoral to formally give his resignation to the Queen. The event followed his own early morning speech from Downing Street where he demonstrated his support for his successor, declaring that "it’s time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team, and her programme, and deliver for the people of this country".
Whenever a new prime minister is appointed, convention dictates that they meet with the head of the royal family for the "kissing hands" ceremony. Many decades ago, the "kissing hands" ceremony required the new prime minister to kiss the hands of the monarch as a showing of their allegiance to the crown but in the modern era the ceremony has become merely a formal audience with the sovereign.
Throughout her 70 years on the throne, the Queen has typically received expectant prime ministers for the "kissing hands" ceremony at Buckingham Palace but today marks a change in tradition. It is thought that today's ceremony took place at Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, where the Queen traditionally spends the summer months, due to ongoing concerns about her health. The Queen has been residing in her Balmoral residence since July.
Following the "kissing hands" ceremony, Truss will give her first public speech as Prime Minister at 4pm outside 10 Downing Street, which will become her new residence. She is expected to address concerns about the cost of living crisis, surging energy prices, and current strains on public services.
Truss has thus far promised to cut taxes, reverse the rise in National Insurance, and work to redirect some healthcare spending towards social care in a bid to reduce the current strain on the NHS. Her proposals are expected to be clarified in the coming days, including an expected proposal to freeze household energy bills.
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