Tory leadership: Sunderland Conservatives call for 'immediate action' on energy prices from Liz Truss following her victory over Rishi Sunak as Boris Johnson set to step down at Prime Minister

The Foreign Secretary’s victory in the contest over former Chancellor Rishi Sunak was confirmed this afternoon (Monday, September 5) at a live event in London.

Boris Johnson’s announced in July that he would step down as Prime Minister, with Truss expected to meet the Queen tomorrow (Tuesday, September 6) to formally take over Downing Street.

But her appointment – which makes her the fourth successive Tory Prime Minister since 2010 – has prompted calls for her to hit the ground running.

Cllr Antony Mullen, leader of Sunderland City Council’s (SCC) Conservative opposition group, said: “I congratulate Liz Truss on becoming the new Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister.

“The challenges she will face are enormous and immediate action will be required to help people with the forthcoming increase in the cost of energy.

“She will have just two years to deliver on her vision for the country before voters decide if she gets to keep her new job - so I sincerely hope she will waste no time in delivering the things she has promised.

"If she does, she will be remembered as a transformational Prime Minister.”

The leadership contest was decided by less than 200,000 members of the Conservative Party.

Announcing the result, Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 group of backbench Tory MPs, confirmed 82.6% of a possible 172,437 ballots had been cast.

Truss, who was formerly a member of the Liberal Democrats, received 81,326 votes compared to 60,399 for rival Sunak – a closer margin than many analysts had expected.

Reacting to the leadership contest result, Cllr Niall Hodson, leader of SCC’s Lib Dem opposition group, said: “I am sorry that she was ever in the Liberal Democrats."

Washington and Sunderland West MP Sharon Hodgson branded the leadership contest a “vanity project” and a “facelift for the same old Tory guard”, while while Graeme Miller, the leader of the city council, said the result would lead to a “continuity [Boris] Johnson” government.

He added: “She has said nothing apart from ‘I’m going to deliver’, but given no detail on anything.

"I would ask her how she marks herself out of ten after 12 years in government.

"She must get on with protecting people, but I don’t think that’s her focus, I think her focus is tax cuts, which aren’t going to help people who need to know what they’re going to eat for dinner or keep their homes warm.”

Easington MP Grahame Morris was also skeptical about the new Prime Minister-in-waiting and repeated calls from his fellow Labour MPs for a general election.

He said: “Liz Truss has moved from the left of the Liberal Democrats calling for the abolition of the monarchy to the right of the Conservative Party calling for regional pay boards to cut wages and backing tax cuts for the rich.

"Authoritative or incompetent - the public should decide at a general election.”

He added: “Liz Truss demonstrates the lack of competency and credible within the Conservative Party.

"After 12 years, the Tories have created many more problems than they have resolved.

"We have spent the last few months watching Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak trash the record and policies of the Conservative Government that they were both very much part of in powerful positions.

"In the national interest, we need an immediate General Election.

"Liz Truss takes the job without any authority, credibility, or mandate, and has been selected on a few thousand votes of Conservative members, who are not representative of the wider public.”