Contender to become the country's next prime minister and leader of the Conservative party, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Photo: AFP
Liz Truss has officially won the Conservative leadership race and tomorrow she will become the United Kingdom's new prime minister.
Tomorrow Truss will become prime minister when she visits the Queen in Balmoral for an invitation to form her UK government.
Truss won 81,326 votes compared to her opponent Rishi Sunak's share of 60,399 votes.
Sir Graham Brady said there was a turnout of 82.6 percent.
Truss tweeted saying she was honoured to be elected leader.
BBC political editor Chris Mason earlier said the outcome was certain because Truss had had a commanding lead in opinion polls - "so commanding, even if those polls were a bit wrong, it wouldn't change the outcome".
In a short speech after the announcement, Truss pledged to follow through on her promises to voters, saying the Tory party needed to show it could deliver over the next two years.
She said she had a "bold plan" to cut taxes and grow the UK economy.
Truss will be formally appointed prime minister by the Queen tomorrow and she will then begin appointing ministers to her new cabinet.
Boris Johnson, who led the Tories to a landslide victory at the 2019 election, will remain in office until the transfer of power is complete.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was tipped to become chancellor.
Truss said yesterday she would set out immediate action to tackle rising energy bills and increase energy supplies if she was appointed prime minister.
Her team has reportedly been working on a support package "for weeks", and is expected to make an announcement on Thursday.
- RNZ/BBC