Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to stand in Conservative Party leadership elections - reports

The Mail on Sunday claims the Foreign Secretary is set to launch her leadership campaign in the coming week, and will do so while promising tax cuts and a review on public spending.

Ms Truss is among the early contenders to replace outgoing PM Boris Johnson, with others such as Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and Tom Tugendhat also among the bookies' favourites for the role.

Others expected to be in the leadership shake-up are Chancellor Nadim Zahawi, ex-foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt and former health secretary Sajid Javid, who quit Johnson's government last week.

Alec Shelbrooke, MP for the Elmet and Rothwell constituency and a former vice chairman of the party, used an appearance on GB News to sing the praises of Ms Truss.

He said: “I'll be absolutely straight up and honestly on air right now. I'm going to be backing Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary.

“I think she's got huge amounts of experience, she's really leading the world on the foreign stage where our country is at the forefront of so many important international issues.

“She's been a trade secretary who delivered a lot of trade deals, she helped steer through the Northern Ireland protocol, which was no easy thing.”

Ms Truss can also count on backing from Middlesbrough MP Simon Clarke, who wrote an article for the Telegraph claiming Truss would cut taxes and help boost the economy.

Mr Clarke tweeted: "I am supporting [Liz Truss]. She will galvanise growth, cut taxes and launch a new Spending Review. She’s tough on our enemies abroad, will seize the opportunities of Brexit and has a strong record of delivery."

Ms Truss moved to Leeds with her family during her teenage years, where she attended Roundhay School. Her father, John, is a professor of mathematics at the University of Leeds.