Liz Truss, former UK prime minister, wished new Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak ‘every success’ as she exits power on Tuesday.
In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss wished Rishi Sunak “every success” and said she looked forward to spending more time in her district and serving the nation from the opposition benches. She also reaffirmed the UK’s support for Ukraine and emphasised that we must do so.
She also reiterated UK’s support for Ukraine and said, “We must support Ukraine in its brave fight against Putin’s aggression. Ukraine must prevail and we must continue to strengthen our nation’s defences. That’s what I have been striving to achieve and I wish Rishi Sunak every success for good of our country.”
She also called for lowering taxes and delivering growth, Truss said, “We need to take advantage of our Brexit freedoms to do things differently. This means delivering more freedom for our own citizens and restoring power for our democratic institutions.”
“It means lower taxes so people can keep more of the money they earn. And it means delivering growth that will lead to more job security, higher wages and more opportunities for our children and grandchildren,” she added.
She claimed to have restored energy independence so that we are “no longer dependent on harmful foreign powers” and to have assisted thousands of enterprises in avoiding bankruptcy.
It has been “a enormous honour” to be prime minister and to have led the country in both mourning the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and celebrating the accession of King Charles, Truss said in the opening of her farewell speech.
Truss also quoted Roman philosopher Seneca, “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult,” while reiterating that UK is “more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges we face”.
Ending her speech, Truss said “We continue to battle through a storm but I believe in Britain, I believe in the British people and I know that brighter days lie ahead.”
Less than two months after losing the fight for the Conservative Party leadership to Liz Truss, former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak assumed the position on Monday. Sunak’s shift in fortune was brought about by Truss’ resignation after her high-profile dismissal and resignation in her cabinet, as a result of a harshly criticized mini-budget that sent the value of the British pound plummeting.
Truss held the record for the shortest tenure as British prime minister after being forced to resign after only 45 days in office. Truss declared while in front of 10 Downing Street that she understands she “cannot deliver the mandate” on which she was elected.