Liz Truss was elected as the UK prime minister and Conservative Party leader by Conservative Party members on Monday.
She defeated rival Rishi Sunak with 81,326 votes to 60,399 and will take over as prime minister on Tuesday.
Former foreign secretary Truss entered the race with lesser chances of winning but defeated her fellow party-member Rishi Sunak, who failed to garner support from Conservative Party members as evidenced by the results.
Truss has taken around 57% of the vote while Sunak achieved 42% of the vote.
The third female prime minister in the history of the UK, Liz Truss is its 56th prime minister. Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher, the two previous female prime ministers, both belonged to the Conservative Party.
Outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson congratulated Liz Truss and said it is the right time for everyone in the Conservative Party to rally around their new leader.
“I know she has the right plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of uniting and levelling up our country. Now is the time for all Conservatives to get behind her 100%,” Johnson said in a tweet.
In a tweet, Rishi Sunak expressed gratitude to everyone who supported the campaign. “Thank you to everyone who voted for me in this campaign. I’ve said throughout that the Conservatives are one family.”
“ It’s right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country through difficult times.” Rishi tweeted.