Liz Truss has officially become the new prime minister of the UK after meeting Queen Elizabeth at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
She is UK’s third female prime minister, and the 15th premier of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen received in audience The Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new administration. Ms. Truss accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”
Earlier, Boris Johnson also had a reception with the monarch to tender his resignation.
Johnson and Truss had to travel to Balmoral rather than Buckingham Palace in London for the royal audience, in a break from tradition, due to the Queens ongoing mobility issues.
Truss, who served as foreign secretary in the Boris Johnson administration, became the leader of the Conservative Party on Sept. 5, after defeating her rival, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, in a bruising leadership campaign.
The new prime minister is facing mounting challenges, with rising energy bills, train strikes, and both a winter crisis in hospitals and a recession looming, not to mention the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Her first major policy priority will be delivering a package of support for households struggling with energy bills which are set to soar even higher in the coming months.
