DOUGLAS Ross has welcomed the election of Liz Truss as the new leader of the Conservative Party.
Truss, who beat her opponent Rishi Sunak by around 20,000 votes, will “deliver for Scotland”, said the leader of the Scottish branch of the party.
Ross was officially neutral in the contest and refused to reveal for whom he had voted, despite others in his shadow cabinet coming out for contenders.
Following a divisive campaign which saw Sunak accuse Truss of indulging in “fantasy economics” when she said she would tackle the cost-of-living crisis by cutting tax, Ross said it was now time for the “whole of the Conservative Party to come together”.
In a statement released on Monday following the announcement, Ross said: “Congratulations to Liz Truss on her election as Conservative Party Leader.
“Both Liz and Rishi, along with their teams, should be proud of the campaigns they have run and the way they have engaged party members.
“However, now that the leadership election is over, it is time for the whole of the Conservative Party to come together to tackle the big challenges our country faces.
“Throughout her political career, Liz Truss has shown herself to have a record of delivery, whether that was in removing the US tariffs on whisky and cashmere or in managing the UK’s robust support for Ukraine both before and following the Russian invasion.
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“I look forward to working with our new Leader and Prime Minister as she continues to deliver for Scotland and the whole of the UK at this most challenging of times.”
It comes after Tory MSPs urged Truss over the weekend to tone down her attacks on Nicola Sturgeon after branding the First Minister an “attention seeker” which critics said showed disrespect to the whole of Scotland.
Truss will travel to Balmoral, Aberdeenshire on Tuesday where she will be appointed Prime Minister by the Queen, who is not at Buckingham Palace due to ill health.
Boris Johnson will also be in Scotland to offer his resignation.
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