BASILDON and Billericay MP John Baron has welcomed the election success of Liz Truss who was today (Monday, 5 September) named as the new Tory leader and tomorrow she will be confirmed as Prime Minister by the Queen.

Mr Baron said: "I congratulate Liz on winning the leadership election, and also thank Rishi Sunak for putting himself forward and for all his efforts over the contest. He can hold his head high and still has much to offer the Conservative cause, whether in or out of Government."

"The new Prime Minister has a daunting in-tray, including the cost of energy and the war in Ukraine. I will of course support the Prime Minister as she addresses the challenges our country faces, and in particular look forward to her following through on her pledges to reverse the damaging hike in National Insurance and to increase defence spending to 3%. I will also be interested to hear her plans for strengthening the Union in more detail."

"More broadly, the Conservative Party needs to heal the wounds of the summer and unite behind our new leader. The next General Election is at most only two years away, and the opposition parties are once again competitive. However, I remain confident that a fifth successive Conservative victory is possible if we step up to the mark with competence and imagination."