West Midlands MPs react to Liz Truss beating Rishi Sunak to become UK’s next prime minister

The Conservative party members have spoken, and a majority of them have voted for Liz Truss to replace Boris Johnson as their party leader and the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Ms. Truss saw off the challenge of former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, to become the new leader of the Conservatives.

She received 57.4%, 81,32, of the votes to Rishi Sunak’s 42.6%, which was 60,399. Ms. Truss becomes only the third female Prime Minister in UK history.

The decision brings to an end a long process which was triggered back in July when prime minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation. Truss has immediate challenges ahead, with the most pressing being the spiralling cost of energy which is already affecting millions in the UK.

What have local MPs said about Truss being named PM?

A number of MPs in the West Midlands have given their reaction to Truss being selected to take over from Johnson.

Posting on Facebook, Gary Sambrook, Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: “Congratulations to Liz Truss on winning the Leadership of the Conservative Party. No incoming Prime Minister has faced more challenges in decades, with the recovery from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and whatever your politics we all wish her success in tackling these issues.

“I will be supporting her and making sure she deals with what matters to local people.”

Conservative MP for West Bromwich East, Nicola Richards, said: “Congratulations to our new Prime Minister Liz Truss, I look forward to working with you and delivering for my constituents in West Bromwich East.”

Shaun Bailey, Conservative MP for West Bromwich West, wrote: “A massive congratulations to Liz Truss on becoming our Party Leader. Liz ran a campaign focused on dealing with the issues that matter to ordinary people. I’m looking forward to working to support the government to deliver.”

‘PM must address cost of living crisis’

Sutton Coldfield MP, Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, said in a post on Facebook that the new MP will have have to urgently address the cost of living crisis. He said: “The terrifying energy price hikes are at the forefront of our minds. They will be the most urgent priority for our new Prime Minister who, I am confident, will waste no time supporting the most vulnerable people in our society through our benefits system.

“It is vital and right to do so. The government needs to organise a financial structure – a long-term debt instrument – to grapple with this possibly over many years. And although there is no reason why the state needs to own the electricity industry, we need total transparency of profits, earnings and efficiencies so that these companies operate wholly in the public interest.”

What have local Labour MPs said?

In a statement issued to BirminghamWorld, Birmingham’s Labour Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood, said: “After serving in several Tory cabinets, nodding through the decisions that got us into this mess, the new Prime Minister simply doesn’t have the answers to this crisis.

“Liz Truss offers more of the same old failed Tory ideas that we have had for the last 12 years. She has had more to say about cutting tax for huge corporations than what she is going to do about the cost-of-living crisis affecting every household in Birmingham Ladywood and across the UK.

“She must now stop delaying and get on the side of working people, by backing Labour’s fully-funded plan to ensure no one would pay a penny more on their energy bills this winter.”

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