New PM? Devon's MPs and councillors react

Not everyone trusts Truss

Devon’s politicians have been reacting to the announcement that Liz Truss is to be the next prime minister.

She took 57 per cent of the votes of Conservative Party members, beating  former chancellor Rishi Sunak.

Ms Truss will see the queen at Balmoral on Tuesday where she will be invited to form a government after Boris Johnson has tended his resignation to Her Majesty first.

Nine out of Devon’s 12 MPs are Conservatives, including East Devon’s Simon Jupp, who backed Rishi Sunak. Mr Jupp offered his congratulations to the new Tory leader on Twitter, and sent his commiserations to Mr Sunak.

He continued: “The Conservative Party must now unite to support our new prime minister against Putin’s invasion and the huge impact it’s having on the cost of living in East Devon. United we stand, divided we fall. Onwards!”

Selaine Saxby, the MP for North Devon, also backed the Ready4Rishi campaign but tweeted with a similar sentiment to her colleague. She wrote: “There is a lot of work to do, and I look forward to working with the new prime minister to continue to level up across rural Britain and especially N. Devon”

Richard Foord MP, recently elected to the Tiverton & Honiton seat representing the Liberal Democrats, said in a statement: “Liz Truss and the Conservatives have spent months failing to act on soaring energy bills, leaving local residents in despair and small businesses going to the wall.

“They have shown they are completely out of touch with people in the westcountry who are struggling to get by.

“It is time that Conservative MPs across Devon finally listened to Liberal Democrat calls to freeze energy bills to save families and pensioners from an economic catastrophe this winter. We have tabled legislation to freeze energy bills, which could be brought in on day one to offer the help that local families and businesses need.

“Liz Truss’ premiership represents more of the same failed Conservative party policies as Boris Johnson, which have led to a cost of living crisis, leaving families and pensioners at breaking point. It’s clear that the country is in dire need of a change.”

Teignbridge District Council leader Alan Connett (LibDem, Teignbridge District Council) congratulated Ms Truss, but warned:“It will be a huge task to reunite the country after the scorching divisions on the past few years.

“That’s alongside the urgent support needed for families, businesses and communities across the country struggling with the cost of living crisis, the energy crisis, the housing crisis, the crisis in the NHS, the crisis in adults and children’s social care, and now soaring inflation.

“The new prime minister’s ‘to do’ list will be very long, I’m sure. However, at the top of that list are very real issues that threaten every household and many, many businesses.

“Like so many people, I have not been impressed by the ‘ping-pong’ politics of the Conservatives in recent years, nor this latest leadership election.”

Luke Pollard MP (Labour, Plymouth Sutton & Devonport), tweeted: “After four prime ministers in 12 years, Britain deserves a fresh start with a general election.

Liz Truss must now immediately address the rising cost of living crisis by freezing energy bills as Labour has set out.

I will be writing to the new PM to urge her to give the south west our fair share but after her comments about wanting to cut pay for public sector workers in the South West, I’m afraid I’m not holding my breath.

Bring on a general election and a Labour government”

Unlike his Plymouth colleague, Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw, who is to stand down at the next general election, hasn't appealed for one.

Instead he said: “Truss has been chosen to be prime minister by a tiny number of Conservative members and with the lowest level of support from those members or her own MPs of any leader in modern times.

"It also seems clear she is about to renege on all the promises she made during the leadership campaign, including adopting Labour’s policy of freezing energy bills.

"This would be welcome, but the nature of her election, her lack of a mandate and the rancour that the contest generated does not auger well for competent and stable government at a time when Britain has never needed it more.”