UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss Joins Race to Replace Johnson

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss heads to work after her announcement that she would be running for the leadership of the Conservative Party, in London, on July 11, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss opened her campaign to become the country’s next prime minister on July 11, bringing the total number of candidates to 11.

Truss, who has held ministerial jobs in a number of government departments, including trade, justice, and the treasury, said she would slash taxes and maintain a tough line against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an article published in The Telegraph, Truss promised to reverse the national insurance hike that was introduced in April and to “keep corporation tax competitive.”

She said she would “get the private sector growing faster than the public sector, with a long-term plan to bring down the size of the state and the tax burden.”

Citing her credentials, such as the UK’s trade deals with Australia and Japan, the Foreign Office’s role in rallying international support for Ukraine, and the legislation to override parts of the UK’s Brexit deal regarding Northern Ireland, Truss said she can win the next general election by delivering results.

By July 11, 11 contenders had entered the Conservative Party leadership contest after Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced to resign over a series of political blunders.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi, his predecessor Rishi Sunak, former Health Secretaries Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, and Attorney General Suella Braveman are all after the top job.

Other contenders include Trade Policy Minister Penny Mordaunt, former soldier and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat, former minister Kemi Badenoch, and newly appointed Foreign Office Minister Rehman Chishti.

Tax Cuts

Taxes are one of the top issues discussed as the race is being held amid a cost-of-living crisis.

A number of contestants have promised tax cuts, with Sunak and his supporters opposing the idea.

Robert Jenrick, a former cabinet minister who’s backing Sunak, told Times Radio on July 11 that he believes it to be “unwise” to announce “fantasy tax cuts to help get through a leadership election.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also criticised the “arms race of fantasy economics” in the Tory leadership election, saying the candidates should clarify where they’re getting that money from to fund the tax cuts.

But he also criticised Sunak, who opposes tax cuts at the moment.

“We have the highest tax burden for decades in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis,” Starmer said, noting that this is following Sunak’s tenure.

Steve Baker, who threw his weight behind Braverman, previously dismissed the accusation that promising tax cuts is promising “the moon on the stick.”

“If we keep trying to raise taxes on working-age people, we’re going to drive them into poverty,” he told Sky News.

Javid also refuted the idea that cutting taxes will necessarily reduce tax revenue.

“When George Osborne first started cutting corporation tax, revenue actually went up year after year,” he said. “It didn’t go down.”

Reuters contributed to this report.