#1 UK’s 3rd Woman Prime Minister
Liz Truss is the third woman in the history of the United Kingdom to be made Prime Minister. Having won the election for leadership of the currently reigning Conservative Party, Truss is expected to be appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II on the 6th of September, 2022. Previous woman prime ministers include the controversial Margaret Thatcher, and Theresa May.
#2 Her education
Mary Elizabeth Truss attended Merton College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford which traces its roots back to the 13th century. During her student years, she was the President of the Oxford University Liberal Democrats. Coming from a left-leaning background, Truss’ views have shifted considerably over the past decades.
#3 Abolitionist views?
During the run-up to her election, a recording was unearthed of the relatively young politician making a speech at a Liberal Democrats party conference in the early 1990s. In this speech, she expressed extremely controversial views on the monarchy, stating that it should be abolished and that many of the citizens of the United Kingdom have had enough of the monarchy. Truss claims that these views were as a result of her childish, teenage imagination and that she now realises the importance and value of the monarchy.
#4 She opposed Brexit
During the events leading up to the 2016 Brexit Referendum, Truss was recorded as saying at a speech, “I think the British people are sensible people. They understand fundamentally that economically Britain would be better off staying in a reformed EU.” However, since then she has come out to say that she has changed her mind and would have voted for Brexit in retrospect, citing the freedoms and flexibility as a country that it offers.
#5 She had an affair
Truss’ marital life is not as glamorous as you would expect of a politician projected to lead the country, as in 2006, news of her affair with a fellow member of Parliament in which she cheated on her husband of six years broke into the news. The scandal was highly publicised, however her marriage survived and to this day she says that she is “happily married”.
#6 Mixed views on LGBT issues
During the vote to legalise same-sex marriage, Truss was a staunch supporter and expressed support for a national ban on conversion therapy - an extremely outdated, arguably ineffective form of therapy which aims to “convert” people from homosexuality into heterosexuality through a variety of methods. However, she has espoused anti-trans views in the past, stating that people cannot self-identify their own genders and that medical records are more important.
ADD YOUR FACTS & COMMENTS ABOUT LIZ TRUSS
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