Truss, 47, will become the third female PM in British political history after traveling to meet the Queen at Balmoral in Scotland on Tuesday. She graduated in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford, where she was born, she received 81,326 votes in the ballot of the members, almost 21,000 more than Sunak who collected 60,399 votes.
Polls and betting companies predicted that Truss would win, but the margin he achieved – a 57.4% share of members’ votes versus Sunak’s 42.6% – was lower than expected.
By comparison Boris Johnson got a 66.4% share of member votes in 2019, David Cameron got 67.6% in 2005 and Iain Duncan Smith 60.7% in 2001.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Truss, saying, “Confident that under your leadership, the India-UK global strategic partnership will be further strengthened. I wish you the best in your new role and your responsibilities. ”
Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also congratulated Truss on his “decisive victory”, saying: “Now is the time for all Conservatives to support it 100%.”
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer said Sunak and Truss were out of touch and called for a general election, saying, “The change we need is not a change at the top of the Tory party.”
The findings were announced Monday inside a packed Queen Elizabeth II Center where Truss and Sunak both sat in the front row.
Sunak looked nervous as the results were read. But after Truss won, he stood up and clapped for her. He later tweeted: “I’ve always said conservatives are one family. It is right that now we unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, while leading the country in difficult times ”.
Truss seemed delighted with the results. One of the first things he did on stage was pay homage to Sunak, saying, “It was a very close campaign. I think we have shown the depth and breadth of talent in our conservative party. ”
Sunak applauded but looked devastated and tears seemed to stream down his eyes.
Anger erupted in some WhatsApp groups in the Indian diaspora, with members saying the findings demonstrated racism in the UK, but Indian-born Conservative Councilor Aarien Areti said such views were not maintained among members of the UK. Tory PIO party. “It’s pretty impressive Rishi obtained more than 40% of the votes. It is a clear victory for the party that someone of ethnic origin has risen to such a position. It has nothing to do with racism. After talking to many members, especially Boris fans, they thought Rishi stabbed Boris in the back, so they voted for Liz. My opinion is that timing did not help Rishi’s situation. Had he not resigned or had resigned earlier, the result would have been different. ”
Areti added that while a majority of Indian-born party members cheered Sunak, a small number had voted for Truss as he promised to review IR35 tax rules, which impact Indian contractors.
Conservative Councilor Raj Singh said, Rishi Sunak has fought a good fight and brought ethnic minorities closer to breaking the glass ceiling than ever. It is a historic milestone in British politics and shows that the Conservative party is a party of equal opportunities and for all ”.
He added: “Liz Truss is also good news for India-UK relations, she is pro-business and committed to deepening ties with India.”
“Rishi Sunak will be disappointed to lose this election, perhaps in the first setback of his professional life and career,” said Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a UK-based non-partisan think tank.
“Its commendable 43% vote share – closer than polls or experts predicted – suggests timing was everything. Had Boris Johnson resigned in January, it seems very likely that Sunak would have headed to 10 Downing Street as British-Indian Prime Minister. The damage done to his position by the evolving economy, tax hikes, and questions about his wife’s tax status have taken him to second place. Many British Indians believe that he was the more capable of the two candidates and therefore there is some disappointment with the result. ”
Conservative peer Lord Ranger said, “Liz’s campaign captured the public’s imagination and was very effective and positive, and Rishi made us proud and proved that in the Tory party it’s the caliber, not the color. that matters – this shows what we faced in the 70s, 80s and 90s is no longer the case in the UK. Now we will unite behind our leader as we face huge crises: inflation, war in Ukraine, rising prices of power”.
He said that Sunak has “inspired millions of people of Indian descent around the world and many more non-whites” and that he would be “a catalyst for change like Barack Obama was. I hope Truss gives him a key role in his cabinet. “.
