London politics LIVE: Liz Truss becomes Prime Minister after meeting Queen at Balmoral as Boris Johnson bows out

Liz Truss has formally become Prime Minister after an audience with the Queen at Balmoral Castle.

The former Foreign Secretary has taken the helm at 10 Downing Street after Boris Johnson resigned earlier on Tuesday.

Ms Truss, 47, is the third female to hold office in history, and the 15th prime minister appointed under the Queen’s reign. The first was Winston Churchill in 1952.

Ms Truss is returning to London to form her Cabinet and have her own podium moment outside No10 on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier on Tuesday Mr Johnson gave his final speech outside No10 Downing Street, highlighting his government’s record on Brexit, supporting Ukraine and the Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Mr Johnson, who joked he would now be “re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in some remote corner of the Pacific”, said he would be offering “fervent support” to Liz Truss’s government during a “tough time” for households across the country.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith turned down position in Truss Cabinet

13:58 , Miriam Burrell

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said he was offered a position in Liz Truss’s new Cabinet but turned it down.

Sir Iain, who was a prominent supporter of the new Prime Minister in the leadership contest, suggested he would have had to “give up quite a lot of other things” to do it and that he was happy to remain on the backbenches.

Sometimes in life you have got to figure out whether you add value to a particular job that you are being asked to do,” he told BBC Radio 4.

“It is all about what I can do and I am very happy to be on the backbenches for the moment.”

Larry the Cat waits for Truss

13:45 , Miriam Burrell

Larry has been spotted waiting outside No10 Downing St for Liz Truss.

The cat has lived at the prime minister’s residence since 2011. He was mentioned in Boris Johnson’s farewell speech on Tuesday.

Mr Johnson said if his dog Dilyn and Larry the cat can “put behind them their occasional difficulties”, then so can the Tory party.

Story continues

(REUTERS)

What happens now?

13:39 , Miriam Burrell

Now that Liz Truss is formerly Britain’s prime minister, she will return to London to appoint a new Cabinet.

She is also expected to make her own speech outside No10 Downing St on Tuesday afternoon, hours after Boris Johnson delivered his farewell speech there.

It is already being reported that Ms Truss will freeze household energy bills at around £2,500 as part of her plan to address the energy crisis.

The Times is reporting that the government will reach a legally binding contracts with energy companies to freeze wholesale prices.

The freeze will be predicated on what the government wants the retail price to be, Political Editor Steven Swinford wrote on Twitter.

Ms Truss has to factor in the £400 already coming on energy bills – hence the £2,500 figure.

Queen confirms Liz Truss as PM

13:08 , Miriam Burrell

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen received in audience The Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new administration. Ms Truss accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

Meanwhile, Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin has congratulated Ms Truss.

“A strong partnership between our two governments is vital to underpin the Good Friday Agreement and support peace and prosperity on these islands,” he said.

“I hope we can use the period ahead to prioritise EU-UK engagement and to reach agreed outcomes on the issues around implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.”

Truss leaves Balmoral Castle

13:06 , Miriam Burrell

Liz Truss has left Balmoral after becoming the first Prime Minister of the Queen’s reign to be appointed by the monarch at her private Scottish home of Balmoral.

The new Prime Minister is the 15th premier of the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.

Ms Truss, who was joined by her husband Hugh O’Leary, said her goodbyes to the Queen’s private secretary and her equerry in a reception hallway and was waved off by the royal aides.

(REUTERS)

Twitter profiles change

12:51 , Miriam Burrell

Shortly after his audience with the Queen, Boris Johnson’s Twitter profile reflected his new status, describing him as the “former prime minister of the United Kingdom”.

Meanwhile, moments after Liz Truss shook hands with the monarch, her Twitter profile also changed to say: “Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Leader of the Conservative Party. MP for South West Norfolk.”

Liz Truss meets the Queen

12:45 , Miriam Burrell

Liz Truss has shaken hands with Her Majesty the Queen inside Balmoral Castle

(AP)

Truss to freeze energy bills at around £2,500 – reports

12:42 , Miriam Burrell

Liz Truss is expected to freeze household energy bills at around £2,500, The Times is reporting.

It will be the £1,971 energy price cap, plus the £400 universal handout, “with a little on top”, Political Editor Steven Swinford said in a Twitter post.

The cost is expected to be around £90 billion – coming from general taxation, not energy bills, he said.

Pictured: Liz Truss at Balmoral

12:39 , Miriam Burrell

The country’s next prime minister Liz Truss has swept onto the Queen’s private Scottish estate in a chauffeur-driven car with her husband Hugh O’Leary.

She will be formally invited to form a Government and become prime minister during her audience with the Queen.

Ms Truss said “good afternoon” as she first shook hands with the Equerry, who gestured towards Sir Edward and the aide introduced himself before the politician and her husband were ushered inside.

(PA)

(PA)

Truss greeted moments after Johnson’s departure

12:28 , Miriam Burrell

Liz Truss has been greeted by the Queen’s private Secretary Sir Edward Young and her Equerry Lieutenant Colonel Tom White just minutes after Boris Johnson’s departure from Balmoral Castle.

(PA)

Liz Truss arrives at Balmoral Castle

12:23 , Miriam Burrell

Liz Truss has arrived moments after Boris Johnson left Balmoral Castle.

She will be appointed as the UK’s new prime minister by the Queen.

Queen ‘graciously pleased to accept’ Johnson’s resignation

12:11 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson and his wife spent almost 40 minutes with the Queen before leaving Balmoral a few minutes before midday.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP had an audience of The Queen this morning and tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which Her Majesty was graciously pleased to accept.”

Angela Rayner: Government stoking ‘flames of distrust’

12:08 , Miriam Burrell

The Government has been “deliberately stoking up the flames of distrust and disunity” with union leaders amid widespread strike action, according to deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner.

When asked whether Labour MPs should be on picket lines supporting striking workers, Ms Rayner told PA: “Labour have always supported the right to strike, it’s a basic right.

“As a (former) trade union official myself, if we ended up in industrial action it was a last resort, we didn’t want to have to ask our members to do that, and members don’t want to do that.

“The rhetoric that is coming out of Government is about deliberately stoking up the flames of distrust and disunity.

“What we want to do is bring people together around the table, improve the standard of living for people and support British industry.”

Boris Johnson leaves Balmoral Castle

12:03 , Miriam Burrell

And just like that, Boris Johnson has left the Queen and Balmoral Castle.

(REUTERS)

Pictured: Boris and Carrie Johnson at Balmoral Castle

11:36 , Miriam Burrell

(PA)

(PA)

Queen meets Boris Johnson in private royal residence

11:31 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson was greeted by the Queen’s private Secretary Sir Edward Young and her Equerry Lieutenant Colonel Tom White at Balmoral Castle.

Pages were on hand to open the doors of the chauffeur-driven car which arrived in light rain and stopped at the front door.

The head of state and Mr Johnson will meet in the drawing room of the private royal residence where the former Tory party leader will offer his resignation to the Queen.

Following convention, the politician is expected to leave the Queen’s estate via a private route.

(PA)

Boris Johnson arrives at Balmoral Castle

11:22 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson has arrived at Balmoral Castle to meet the Queen and hand in his resignation.

(REUTERS)

Therese Coffey to be deputy PM – reports

11:20 , Miriam Burrell

Therese Coffey will be appointed Liz Truss’s Deputy Prime Minister as well as Health Secretary today, The Telegraph is reporting.

Questions are swirling over who will be in Ms Truss’s Cabinet. Key allies and supporters are already pencilled in for some of the most senior roles, including Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng who is widely expected to be given the crucial role of chancellor.

Therese Coffey (PA Wire)

Liz Truss’s plane circles before finally landing in Aberdeen

11:11 , Sarah Harvey

A plane carrying Liz Truss had to do a number of circles over Aberdeen International Airport, before landing on Tuesday morning, due to thick fog.

More than 26,000 people were live tracking the flight using Flightradar24.

Ms Truss arrived in Scotland shortly after Boris Johnson and will this afternoon be appointed by the Queen as Britain’s new prime minister.

Officers arrive outside Balmoral Castle

10:47 , Miriam Burrell

Police officers have arrived outside Balmoral Castle ahead of Boris Johnson’s meeting with the Queen

(REUTERS)

(REUTERS)

Nadine Dorries asked to stay on as Culture Secretary

10:33 , Miriam Burrell

Nadine Dorries confirmed she had been asked to stay on as Culture Secretary by Liz Truss but decided to return to the backbenches.

In her resignation letter to outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, she said: “I am humbled that your successor has extended her confidence in me by asking me to remain as Secretary of State for DCMS.”

But she said “after much reflection” she had decided to step down.

Winston Churchill to Liz Truss

10:14 , Miriam Burrell

Liz Truss is the 15th Prime Minister to serve during the Queen’s reign. The first was Winston Churchill in 1952.

The Royal Family has shared photographs on Twitter of Her Majesty with previous prime ministers, ahead of Liz Truss arriving Balmoral Castle to be appointed this afternoon.

Liz Trussell vs Liz Truss

10:07 , Miriam Burrell

A woman named Liz Trussell has been sending witty replies to a flurry of tweets accidentially sent to her instead of Britain’s new prime minister Liz Truss.

Ms Trussell has the Twitter account ‘liztruss’, which political leaders and members of the public have mistakenly used to either congratulate or criticise the new Tory leader following her victory on Monday. Ms Truss has the Twitter handle ‘trussliz’.

Boris Johnson lands in Aberdeen

09:47 , Miriam Burrell

A flight believed to be carrying Boris Johnson to Scotland has landed at Aberdeen International Airport.

He is expected to meet the Queen at Balmoral Castle around 11.20am, where he will offer his resignation as prime minister.

Liz Truss will meet the monarch less than an hour later to be appointed as prime minister before returning to London to form her Cabinet.

She is expected to deliver a speech around 4pm.

Truss’s energy plan to be ‘major intervention’

09:42 , Miriam Burrell

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke has indicated that Liz Truss’s plan to tackle soaring energy prices will be a “major intervention” to help businesses as well as households.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It will come very shortly and there is a clear commitment to…provide early certainty to families and businesses that there will be help available to meet the undoubted challenges that this autumn and winter are going to bring.”

Watch: Best bits of Boris Johnson’s speech

09:26 , Miriam Burrell

His full speech can be read here.

Truss’s Cabinet to include those who backed Sunak, Clarke says

09:18 , Miriam Burrell

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said he “would be astonished” if Liz Truss’s new Cabinet did not include people who backed her rival Rishi Sunak.

“It will include people from right across the party and I would be astonished if it didn’t include people who backed Rishi,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“The reality is that everybody wants to see the Conservative Party unite and bring together talent from across the party”.

Boris Johnson applauded as he leaves No10

08:58 , Miriam Burrell

SNP Westminster leader calls for general election

08:39 , Miriam Burrell

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has said that a general election should take place.

“What Liz Truss now seems to be proposing was not in the Tory manifesto in the 2019 election,” he told BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme.

“First and foremost, let’s put the support in place that families, that businesses, need.

“Let’s get that done and the right thing to do is then to put this to the people, to have that general election and let the people in Scotland express their opinion, and I think crucially their opinion as to whether or not Scotland should be an independent country.”

(PA)

Boris Johnson compares himself to a booster rocket

08:26 , Miriam Burrell

During his farewell speech Boris Johnson compared himself to a booster rocket.

“On the subject of bouncing around in future careers, let me say that I am now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function,” he said.

“I will now be gently re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific.

“Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough and I will be offering this government nothing but the most fervent support.”

Labour MPs slam Johnson’s speech

08:21 , Miriam Burrell

Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley Jess Phillips said Boris Johnson “always lies”, meanwhile Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting criticised his comments about the NHS.

Johnson listing ‘imaginary achievements’

08:08 , Miriam Burrell

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said Boris Johnson was listing “imaginary achievements” in his resignation speech, describing him as “the worst Prime Minister of the modern era”.

Pictured: Boris Johnson’s farewell speech

08:03 , Miriam Burrell

(AP)

(AP)

(PA)

Johnson praises govt for getting economy ‘moving again’

07:55 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson praised his government for getting “this economy moving again from July last year despite all the opposition”, saying it meant that “we have and will continue to have that economic strength to give people the cash they need to get through this energy crisis that has been caused by Putin’s vicious war”.

He added: “I know that Liz Truss and this compassionate Conservative government will do everything we can to get people through this crisis and this country will endure it.

“And if Putin thinks that he can succeed by blackmailing or bullying the British people, then he is utterly deluded.”

‘Fantastic group of public servants’

07:47 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson celebrated the success of the vaccines rollout as he delivered his final speech from No10 as Prime Minister.

He said: “Through that lacquered black door, a new prime minister will shortly go to meet a fantastic group of public servants.

“The people who got Brexit done. The people who delivered the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, and never forget 70 per cent of the entire population got a dose within six months – faster than any comparable country. That is government for you. That’s this Conservative government.”

(PA)

Bye Bye Boris

07:44 , Miriam Burrell

As soon as Boris Johnson began his speech, protesters began playing “Bye Bye Boris” from Kings Charles Street, which runs parallel to Downing St.

The song is a remix of “Bye Bye Baby” which anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray and his supporters often play during protests.

Others could be heard shouting from Whitehall.

Tory MPs who had gathered to watch Boris Johnson’s farewell speech broke into cheers as he finished his address.

Mr Johnson held his wife’s hand and shook hands with officials as he left the street to rapturous applause.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Boris Johnson leaves Downing St

07:41 , Miriam Burrell

(Getty Images)

(REUTERS)

‘I will be supporting the Liz Truss government’

07:39 , Miriam Burrell

Mr Johnson thanked everyone who has helped to look after his family, inluding Dilyn the dog, and Larry, the cat.

“If Dilyn and Larry can put behind their occassional differences, then so can the Conservative Party.

“I will be supporting the Liz Truss government every step of the way.”

Johnson: ‘I am one of those booster rockets’

07:37 , Miriam Burrell

Mr Johnson said of his future: “I am now like one of those booster rockets..I will now gently be re-entering the atmosphere and splashing down in some remote corner of the Pacific.”

Boris on efforts for Ukraine

07:34 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson has thanked the “people who organised those prompt early supplies of weapons to Ukrainian forces”, an action he said may have “changed the course of the biggest European war in decades”.

He said he knows Liz Truss and her government will do everything she can to get Ukraine through “this crisis”.

Boris Johnson’s farewell speech

07:31 , Miriam Burrell

Boris Johnson is delivering his farewell speech outside Downing St before travelling to Balmoral to announce his resignation to the Queen.

“This is it folks,” he began.

“The torch will finally be passed…the baton will be handed over to what has unexpectedly been a relay race.”

Tory MPs gather outside No10

07:27 , Miriam Burrell

(PA)

(AFP via Getty Images)

Nadine Dorries arrives at Downing St

07:19 , Miriam Burrell

Nadine Dorries, who has stepped down as Culture Secretary, arrives at No10 alongside Rachel Johnson, Boris Johnson’s sister

(Getty Images)

Rayner: ‘Unfair’ for working-class to bear brunt of energy bill freeze

07:14 , Miriam Burrell

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has said it is “unfair” for working-class people to bear the brunt of any energy bill freeze that is introduced.

She told Good Morning Britain: “It sounds to me… that (Liz Truss) will bring in the energy freeze, which is what Labour has called for and that’s a good thing.

“But to make working people pay for it when the gas and oil companies have made bumper profits would be completely unfair.

“Therefore, the windfall tax on these companies, who have made extra profit than what they were expecting, is the right thing to do.”

Nadine Dorries steps down

07:08 , Miriam Burrell

Nadine Dorries has announced she is standing down as Culture Secretary.

Sources close to the Tory MP – who was a prominent supporter of Liz Truss during the leadership election – said she believed it was the right time to go.

It is understood she was given the opportunity to carry on in Cabinet but had chosen instead to return to the backbenches.

(REUTERS)

Sir Ed Davey calls for ‘genuine freeze’ of energy bills

07:01 , Miriam Burrell

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has called for a “genuine freeze” of energy bills rather than a “loan system”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “What we’re hearing from Downing Street…isn’t a freeze. It’s a loan.

“What they’re saying is that families and pensioners should be paying this back for years to come. That’s just not right.”

Downing St

06:54 , Miriam Burrell

Media have gathered outside No10 Downing St ahead of Boris Johnson’s speech, expected around 7.30am

(PA)

Who will be in Liz Truss’s ministerial team?

06:47 , Miriam Burrell

A number of key allies and supporters have already been pencilled in for some of the most senior roles, including Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng who is widely expected to be given the crucial role of chancellor.

Other key appointments are expected to include Attorney General Suella Braverman, who is tipped for promotion to home secretary, and Education Secretary James Cleverly, who is expected to be the new foreign secretary.

Therese Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary who is described as Ms Truss’s closest friend at Westminster, is thought to be in line to become health secretary while Ben Wallace is expected to remain as Defence Secretary.

Kwasi Kwarteng (REUTERS)

Today’s timeline

06:43 , Miriam Burrell

7.30am – Boris Johnson is expected to make a speech outside Downing St

He and Liz Truss will then travel to Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, where Mr Johnson will announce his resignation to the Queen and Ms Truss will be appointed as the new prime minister.

4pm – Liz Truss is set to make a speech at No10 before she appoints her ministerial team