Transcript of Liz Truss’s maiden PM speech

Liz Truss maiden speech as PM – full transcript. Just in case you missed it, Britain is onto its fourth prime minister in six years. On Tuesday, Liz Truss delivered her first speech outside No 10 Downing Street following an audience with The Queen at Balmoral. 

Here’s the transcript of the four minute address –

“Good afternoon.

 I have just accepted Her Majesty the Queen’s kind invitation to form a new government. Let me pay tribute to my predecessor. 

Boris Johnson delivered Brexit, the Covid vaccine and stood up to Russian aggression. History will see him as a hugely consequential prime minister. 

I’m honoured to take on this responsibility at a vital time for our country. What makes the United Kingdom great is our fundamental belief in freedom, in enterprise and in fair play.

 Our people have shown grit, courage and determination time and time again.

We now face severe global headwinds caused by Russia’s appalling war in Ukraine and the aftermath of Covid. 

Now is the time to tackle the issues that are holding Britain back. 

We need to build roads, homes and broadband faster. 

We need more investment and great jobs in every town and city across our country. 

We need to reduce the burden on families and help people get on in life. 

I know that we have what it takes to tackle those challenges. Of course it won’t be easy, but we can do it. 

We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation with high paying jobs, safe streets and where everyone, everywhere has the opportunities they deserve. 

I will take action this day and action everyday to make it happen. 

United with our allies, we will stand up for freedom and democracy around the world, recognising that we can’t have security at home without having security abroad. As prime minister, I will pursue three early priorities. 

Firstly, I will get Britain working again. 

I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform. I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment. 

I will drive reform in my mission to get the United Kingdom working, building and growing. 

We’ll get spades in the ground to make sure people are not facing unaffordable energy bills, and we will also make sure that we are building hospitals, schools, roads and broadband. 

Secondly, I will deal hands on with the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war. I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply. 

Thirdly, I will make sure that people can get doctor’s appointments and the NHS services they need. We will put our health service on a firm footing. 

By delivering on the economy, on energy and on the NHS, we will put our nation on the path to long term success. 

We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we face. As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger. 

Our country was built by people who get things done. We have huge reserves of talent, of energy and determination. 

I am confident that together we can ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy and we can become the modern brilliant Britain that I know we can be. 

This is our vital mission to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations. I am determined to deliver. Thank you.

Final thoughts

You might have noticed that in the last 500 words, one particular word was notably absent. Perhaps the most striking detail of Miss Truss’s inaugural address to the nation was, well, the lack of direct address. Specifically, the word “you” does not appear once. Past prime ministers have typically used their first time at the podium to pledge “to serve you”.

By comparison, “you” and “your” appeared 12 times in Boris Johnson’s maiden No 10 speech and 32 times in Theresa May’s first statement. Instead, Liz Truss opted to refer to “the British people” in third person.

Miss Truss’s die is now cast, we’re yet to see where it lands.