Liz Truss, Britain's current foreign secretary, on Monday defeated Rishi Sunak, the UK's former chancellor of the exchequer, in the race to lead England's ruling Conservative party.
On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II will invite Truss to become Britain's third lady prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
In a race that ended up closer than predicted, Truss polled 81,326 votes compared to Sunak's 60,399 in an election with a high turnout of 82.6 per cent, with 654 rejected ballots from a total of 172,437 eligible Tory voters.
IMAGE: Liz Truss, with her husband Hugh O'Leary alongside her, reacts to the announcement that she is the new Conservative party leader. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/Pool via Reuters
IMAGE: Sir Graham Brady, who headed the Conservatives's election committee, congratulates Truss on her victory. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
IMAGE: Truss will replace Boris Johnson, who will submit his resignation as prime minister to Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle shortly before the monarch invites Truss in for a meeting. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
IMAGE: This is the first time since Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1952 that this ceremony will take place at Balmoral Castle in Scotland where the monarch spends the summer.
It was felt that it would be too tiring for the 96-year queen to make the 1,000 mile journey to Buckingham Palace where she has traditionally invited a Conservative or Labpur politician to head her next government. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
It was felt that it would be too tiring for the 96-year queen to make the 1,000 mile journey to Buckingham Palace where she has traditionally invited a Conservative or Labpur politician to head her next government. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
IMAGE: Truss, who turned 47 on July 26, has the reputation of being an indifferent speaker without the gift of the gab some of her recent predecessors (Tony Blair, for instance) were endowed with.
'We will deliver, we will deliver and we will deliver,' Truss declared in her short acceptance speech, in that imperial manner of Margaret Thatcher she has tried to copy during the Conservative leadership race. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
'We will deliver, we will deliver and we will deliver,' Truss declared in her short acceptance speech, in that imperial manner of Margaret Thatcher she has tried to copy during the Conservative leadership race. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
