By exploiting her political experience to draw ahead of her rival Rishi Sunak and establish herself as the obvious favourite, Liz Truss has established herself as the front-runner to replace Boris Johnson as leader of the governing Conservative Party and prime minister of the United Kingdom.
After Sunak resigned in protest of a slew of scandals involving the government, it sparked the beginning of the competition, which ultimately resulted in Johnson stepping down from his post.
But despite the fact that he is considered to be a better public speaker, he has come below fire for holding to fiscal orthodoxy in order to cope with the financial calamity. In addition, he is hampered by the image of him being a wealthy technocrat.
In addition to this, Sunak, who if elected would be the first person of colour to hold the position of prime minister in the United Kingdom, has been accused of betrayal for his role in bringing down the Brexit hero for the Conservatives, Boris Johnson.
While everything is going on, Truss has been relentlessly hammering home a clear and consistent narrative, promising massive tax savings, and has avoided criticising Johnson.
Truss, who is 47 years old, has referred to her climb through the ranks of British politics as a “journey,” despite the fact that she has been criticised for being too ambitious and opportunistic in her pursuit of higher office.
She came from a politically left-leaning family but later switched to the politically right-leaning Conservatives after beginning her political career with the centrist Liberal Democrats.
After surviving the disclosures of an affair that were almost about to loss her the nomination, she was elected in 2010 as the Member of Parliament for the South West Norfolk seat in eastern England.
Since the year 2012, she has served in a variety of ministerial capacities in the education, finance, and ministries, in addition to a challenging stint in the judicial system.
In 2016, she advocated for the United Kingdom to continue its membership in the European Union, but after the referendum in 2016, she quickly became one of the EU’s most ardent advocates instead.
After the United Kingdom exited the European Union, Johnson placed her in charge of negotiating new free trade deals before selecting her as the secretary of state for foreign affairs the following year.
She took on the contentious task of trying to reconcile differences with Brussels about post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland as part of her role in the position, which was unpopular.
Similar to Johnson, she has presented a forceful argument against Russia and has shown unwavering support for Ukraine.
The similarities between Truss and the conservative icon Margaret Thatcher can be seen in her choice of attire and the photographs she chooses to take, such as posing in a tank in Estonia and wearing a fur cap in Moscow.
Her traditionally formal manner has become significantly more relaxed, and her supporters have worked to soften her image by disclosing that she enjoys karaoke and socialising with other people.
Sunak, now 42 years old, is the grandson of people who emigrated from India. He was raised in Southampton, England, on the south coast of England, as the son of a doctor and a pharmacist.
He received his education at the renowned charge-paying Winchester College faculty before continuing his education at Oxford University.
In addition to attending a public university in Leeds, which is located in northern England, Truss received his education at Oxford. Both attended school for political science, philosophical studies, and economics.
Prior to work at Goldman Sachs and investing funds, Sunak met his future wife, Akshata Murty, whose father founded the Indian technology giant Infosys, at the university in the United States known as Stanford.
Since 2015, he has served as the representative for the northern English seat of Richmond, where he was soon identified as a potential candidate for the position of prime minister.
Early in the year 2020, he was appointed to the position of finance minister and quickly gained praise for his leadership in coordinating government assistance to individuals and businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
After it came to light that Sunak’s spouse had not been paying UK tax, public opinion began to shift against him this year. Sunak is a self-proclaimed geek who is also a fan of the Star Wars franchise.
In addition to this, critics have pointed to his personal riches, expensive clothing, and lavish mansions as evidence that he is out of touch with the general populace.
