When is Liz Truss’ speech today? Time of new Prime Minister first official statement - and what she could say

Liz Truss has officially become UK Prime Minister today (Tuesday 6 September) following her victory over Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party leadership contest.

The ex-Foreign Secretary, who stood on a low-tax ticket during her bid for the Tory leadership, faces a major challenge to bring the cost of living crisis under control.

Her appointment as PM was preceded this morning by Boris Johnson’s farewell speech in Downing Street, in which the former PM trumpeted his own legacy and said he would be supporting Ms Truss “every step of the way”.

So, when will Liz Truss make her own speech outside (or inside) 10 Downing Street - and what is she likely to say?

Here’s what you need to know.

When is Liz Truss speech today?

When any new Prime Minister takes office, they give a speech on the steps of 10 Downing Street.

This address usually happens immediately after they have visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace, which is a one-mile drive away from the government leader’s official residence.

During this ceremony, the Queen asks the incoming leader whether they will form a government and the pair shake hands - although the Court Circular will record that "the prime minister kissed hands on appointment".

But our fourth Conservative PM since 2016 has had a different day compared to most of her predecessors as she has to travel 500-miles by plane to see the Queen at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

It comes after the Royal household said it wanted to provide certainty for the incoming leader’s itinerary.

The elderly monarch has been struggling with mobility issues, with the Palace’s statements suggesting she is too frail to stick to the tight schedule a trip to London for the ceremony would have necessitated.

What it all means is that Liz Truss will not be speaking in Downing Street until later in the day.

Having being formally appointed to the role of PM by Her Majesty, it was intended that Ms Truss would give a speech in London at roughly 4pm.

However, delays have meant we are still waiting for our first sight of the new UK leader.

At present, it is unclear whether this address will take place outside or inside 10 Downing Street.

Heavy rain has been falling on Downing Street, with the Prime Ministerial lecturn having been taken back inside 10 Downing Street.

Ms Truss is still expected to arrive in Downing Street by car.

What will Liz Truss say in speech?

No briefing has yet been given on what Liz Truss will say in her Downing Street speech.

But it is likely that her address will touch upon the cost of living crisis, her goals for her time in office and praise for her predecessor, Boris Johnson.

Typically, these speeches are vague.

But all of those made by Ms Truss’s predecessors have all had at least one standout line that has either set the tone for their time in office, or been the thing they were judged against.

For David Cameron in 2010, it was “build[ing] an economy that rewards work” - a line that precluded major changes to the welfare state, including cuts to benefits.

For Theresa May in 2016 it was “fighting against the burning injustice” in society if you were poor or from an ethnic minority - a goal she was mostly unable to achieve as her premiership became swallowed up by Brexit.

And for Boris Johnson in 2019, it was all about proving “the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters…wrong again” about Brexit - a bullish line that captured the extremely divisive manner in which he ran his government.

Given Liz Truss’s keen eye for publicity, it seems likely she will be delivering her own catchy soundbite that will come to define her time as Prime Minister.