Mary Elizabeth Truss, commonly known as Liz, has been announced as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Ms Truss has seen a sudden rise through the political ranks, having first being elected as a Member of Parliament in 2010.
Her rise to the top is perhaps not unexpected, however, with the 47-year-old being one of the few Tory MPs to remain in ministerial and cabinet positions throughout the premierships of three very different Prime Ministers.
Some critics have suggested that the MP is prone to change her opinions to suit the issues of the day, and this is how she has been able to seamlessly switch between different ideologies over the years.
In her teenage years and early adulthood, Ms Truss was not even a supporter of the Conservative Party. She was, in fact, a promising young campaigner for the Liberal Democrats – a liberal political party in the UK.
She was once president of Oxford University Liberal Democrats and called for both the legalisation of cannabis and the abolition of the monarchy.
During a speech in 1994, Ms Truss said: “Everybody in Britain should have the chance to be a somebody. but only one family can provide the head of state.”
She continued: “We believe in referendum on major constitutional issues; we do not believe people should be born to rule, or that they should put up and shut up about decisions which affect their everyday lives.”
During the leadership campaign to become the next Conservative Party leader, a video of the speech reemerged on social media.
Ms Truss told reporters that she regretted the comments she made 25 years ago ‘almost immediately after’ she made the speech.
“I was a teenager at the time and I do believe that people who never change their mind on anything and think the same at 16 as they do at 46 are, well, first of all they’re not normal people like I am.
‘”I’ve got the ability to learn from mistakes I’ve made, things that I’ve done that are wrong and move on.”
Ms Truss left the Liberal Democrats in 1996 and joined the Conservatives – a party she now leads.
