Liz Truss swept all before her at her first Prime Minister’s Questions — skewering the opposition, heartening Tory morale and even raising laughter among friend and foe.
It lacked the classical references and swagger of Boris Johnson’s PMQs but there was also an absence of the evasion and vagueness of the former prime minister.
A straight-talking, professional approach, high on ideology, has returned to Westminster, perhaps in good time to contend with the economic maelstrom ahead.
If there were waverers in support for their new leader among the Tory backbenchers at midday on Wednesday, there were far fewer 37 minutes later, when Ms Truss gathered her large, red government box and strode out of the chamber.
She left behind a bemused Labour opposition, unable to land a single blow, a befuddled Scottish National Party leader and beaming Conservative benches.
Even former prime minister Theresa May appeared momentarily in raptures after Ms Truss’s response to her question of why it was that the Conservatives had provided three female prime ministers and Labour not even a single woman leader.
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New Conservative Party leader and Britain's Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss delivers a speech after being announced the winner of the Tory Party leadership contest in central London on September 5, 2022. Ms Truss is the UK's third female prime minister following Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher. AFP -
Liz Truss during a hustings event in Darlington in August 2022. Ms Truss and Rishi Sunak are awaiting the results of a poll of Conservative Party members deciding which of them has been selected as the new party leader, and next prime minister. PA -
Liz Truss playing pool during a visit to the Onside Future Youth Zone in London in August 2022. PA -
Boris Johnson and Ms Truss arriving for an extraordinary summit at Nato headquarters in Brussels, in March 2022. AFP -
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ms Truss arrive for talks in Moscow in February 2022. AP -
Ms Truss in Red Square during a visit to Moscow in February 2022. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Ms Truss meeting European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic (not seen) for talks in central London on the Northern Ireland Protocol on 11th February 2022. PA -
Ms Truss with Marise Payne, the Australian minister of foreign affairs, at Government House in Sydney, Australia, in January 2022. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Liz Truss hosts Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic at Chevening House in January 2022 to discuss the Northern Ireland protocol. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Ms Truss visits British troops in Estonia as they operate alongside other Nato troops in Tapa in November 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Liz Truss walks through the old town in Tallinn, Estonia, in November 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Ms Truss greeting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, in November 2021. PA -
Ms Truss at the Red Fort in New Delhi during a trip to India in October 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
The British foreign secretary on the Plaza de la Constitucion in Mexico City, during a trip to Mexico in September 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Queen Elizabeth II greeting Ms Truss at a reception for international business and investment leaders at Windsor Castle in October 2021. PA -
Liz Truss with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, in New York, in September 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Ms Truss on a morning jog over Brooklyn Bridge in New York in September 2021. Photo: No. 10, Downing Street -
Former Chancellor Philip Hammond, centre, holding his red ministerial box outside 11, Downing Street, flanked by Treasury colleagues Ms Truss and Mel Stride in October 2018. PA -
Ms Truss, then secretary of state for justice, being escorted around HMP Brixton by prison governor David Bamford in November 2016. PA -
Ms Truss as she became the first woman ever to hold the role of Lord Chancellor, arriving at the Royal Courts of Justice before being installed in July 2016. PA -
In April 2016, the former environment secretary Liz Truss listening to former chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne (not seen) during his speech at the National Composites Centre in Bristol. PA -
When she was environment minister, Ms Truss visited the bridge over the River Wharfe in Tadcaster, which collapsed after heavy flooding in December 2015. Getty Images -
Addressing the Conservative party conference in Birmingham in 2014 when she was secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs. Getty Images -
Mr Truss on the Sawnnington Farm to Fork stand at the Norfolk Food Festival at the Houses Of Parliament in October 2011. PA -
Conservative Parliamentary candidate for South-West Norfolk Elizabeth Truss, while canvassing in the village of West Walton during the 2010 General Election campaign. PA -
The former Conservative Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, centre, speaking at the launch Reform's Lawful Society report on the nature of crime and the incentives in the criminal justice system while Ms Truss looks on, in September 2008. PA -
Former Conservative Leader William Hague meeting conservative candidate for Calder valley Ms Truss, during the General Election Campaign for 2005. PA
The Labour Party could not find a female boss “or indeed a leader that doesn’t come from north London”, she responded to raucous laughter and cheers.
So demonstrably bayoneted, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had no option but to sit back and chuckle, hoping voters might soon forget the harm done to his party by his fellow north Londoner, socialist Jeremy Corbyn.
Concession was perhaps made by the opposition, as this was Ms Truss’s first PMQs and she has yet, beyond appointing her Cabinet, to make any serious government decisions that can be scrutinised.
Furthermore, she has stolen Labour’s clothing by letting it be known that the Tories will adopt their policy of putting a cap on energy prices — possibly about £2,500 ($2,900) per home — to avoid debilitating debt for households and businesses.
This, Sir Keir stated, would cost at least £100 billion and it was clear that working people would have to pay for it through taxes.
“The face at the top may change, but the policies remain the same,” he quipped.
Ms Truss's riposte was swift and rapier-like.
“There's nothing new about a Labour leader who is calling for more tax rises,” she said to great cheers. “He doesn't understand that people want to keep more of their own money.”
Her direct approach reached is zenith when asked a rambling question about whether she would publish a review on child social care. “Yes” she said, then sat back down.
A similar response was reserved for Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party leader in Parliament who sparred long and bitterly with Mr Johnson.
“Would the freeze on energy prices be paid for by a windfall tax [on energy companies], yes or no?” he demanded.
“No, it won't be paid for by a windfall tax,” she replied. “I don't believe we can tax our way to growth.”
Mr Blackford looked crestfallen at her directness then became evasive as Ms Truss pushed for the Scottish government to commit to building new nuclear power stations.
When asked by an opposition MP if she would call a general election to give her a proper mandate to govern, she replied that she would not.
“The country is in a very serious energy crisis and the British people want a government that is going to sort it,” Ms Truss firmly stated, as she approached the 24-hour mark of her premiership.
Her government has clearly decided — like the Germans and others — to buy their way out of the crisis caused by Russian’s aggression in Ukraine.
On Thursday, Ms Truss will return to Parliament to announce a package that will cost Britain £100bn or more to enforce the price cap. Here the opposition will have something to pick over and criticise.
For now, Ms Truss is on the front foot. There is also something different about her government: of her immediate front bench, seven were women — possibly a record for PMQs — and two were African-heritage men and all exuded a sense of purpose rather than bitter infighting.
One thing Ms Truss certainly wasn’t — and did not try to be — was her jovial predecessor. She more resembled the steel of her political idol Margaret Thatcher, who after a good number of PMQs earned the title of the “Iron Lady”.
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Liz Truss and her new team congregate round the cabinet table. AP -
Special adviser Sophie Jarvis arrives for new British Prime Minister Liz Truss's first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday. Ms Truss has made sweeping changes to the UK government after becoming leader on Tuesday. -
Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. AFP -
Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. Getty Images -
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, front, arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. AP -
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. Reuters -
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ranil Jayawardena arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. AP -
Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary Therese Coffey arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. Reuters -
Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. Reuters -
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. Getty Images -
Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. Reuters -
Attorney General Michael arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. AP -
Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. AP -
Education Secretary Kit Malthouse arrives for the new Cabinet meeting. AP -
Kwasi Kwarteng has been appointed chancellor of the exchequer. Reuters -
Therese Coffey has been appointed deputy prime minister and health secretary. EPA -
James Cleverly has been appointed foreign secretary. PA -
Suella Braverman has been appointed home secretary. AFP -
Brandon Lewis has been appointed lord chancellor and justice secretary. PA -
Ben Wallace has been reappointed defence secretary. Reuters -
Jacob Rees-Mogg has been appointed secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy. PA -
Kemi Badenoch has been appointed international trade secretary and president of the Board of Trade. PA -
Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Reuters -
Alok Sharma has been reappointed as Cop26 president. EPA -
Simon Clarke has been appointed secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities. EPA -
Chloe Smith has been appointed work and pensions secretary. PA -
Michelle Donelan has been appointed secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport. AFP -
Penny Mordaunt has been appointed leader of the House of Commons. PA -
Ranil Jayawardena has been appointed secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs. Alamy -
Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been appointed transport secretary. Bloomberg. -
Wendy Morton has been appointed chief whip. Bloomberg -
Chris Heaton-Harris has been appointed Northern Ireland secretary. AFP -
Robert Buckland has been reappointed as Welsh secretary. PA -
Alister Jack has been reappointed Scottish secretary. PA -
Michael Ellis QC has been appointed attorney general and will attend Cabinet. AFP -
Tom Tugendhat will attend Cabinet as security minister in the Home Office. PA
