Liz Truss: The Leeds MP and new 'Iron Lady' rumoured to lead the Tory leadership race

Johnson was forced to make a public apology at Prime Minister's questions yesterday after an email leaked to ITV showed that an outdoor party or 'gathering', involving an invitation to up to 100 people to 'bring your own booze', was held at Downing Street during lockdown in 2020.

These revelations have spurred several Tory MP's to turn on the Prime Minister, declaring him unfit for office and pressuring him to resign.

Several candidates for the position have been suggested, including Liz Truss.

She has long been a favourite for a potential new leader of the Conservative party - with an 82% net satisfaction rate amongst party members according to Conservative Home website.

After taking over as Foreign Secretary earlier this year, Truss has continued to climb the political ladder - but who is she?

Who is Liz Truss?

Elizabeth Mary Truss is a British politician who has served as Foreign Secretary since 2021 and Minister for Women and Equalities since 2019.

She also held several positions under Cameron and May's administration.

Where is she from?

Truss was born in Oxford but moved to Scotland with her family at the age of four.

She then moved back to England for secondary school and studied at Roundhay School in Leeds during her teenage years, before attending Oxford to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

She joined the Conservative party in 1996.

Who are her parents?

Her father, John Kenneth, was a professor of pure mathematics at the University of Leeds.

Her mother, Priscilla Mary Truss, was a nurse, teacher, and member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

She has previously stated that both her parents were left-wing, with her father refusing to help her campaign for election in 2010.

How old is she?

Truss was born on 26 July, 1975.

She is currently 46 years old.

Who is she married to?

She married accountant Hugh O'Leary in 2000 and the pair have two children together.

They met at the 1997 Tory Party Conference and started dating soon after.

How long has she been an MP?

Truss became the MP for South West Norfolk in 2010, after working in sales and as an economist.

The Conservative politician served as a backbencher and campaigned for the reform of childcare, maths education, and the economy for several years, and was subsequently appointed as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education in 2012.

What positions has she held?

After her role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education, she then went on to be appointed to the Cabinet by David Cameron in the 2014 Cabinet reshuffle.

It was here she became the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a position she held until 2016.

Under Theresa May she was given the role of Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor, making her the first woman to ever hold the position in Cabinet.

At the 2017 election she was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before Prime Minister Boris Johnson elected her to become the International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade after May resigned in 2019.

In a reshuffle earlier this year she took over the position of Foreign Secretary from Dominic Raab.

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