After nearly getting rained off from her first speech as PM yesterday afternoon, Tory favourite Liz Truss finally has the keys to No10 after kicking Boris Johnson off his throne. Our new prime minister is set to face her first PMQs in the top job today, and the dynamic at the despatch box is going to look rather different as Keir Starmer sounds out his new opponent.
Johnson was notorious for his flamboyant tirades, rambling rants and rogue charm that riled up Labour leader Starmer no end. During the mid-week parliamentary debates, the pair have been constantly at loggerheads in emotionally charged spats that often got them in trouble with the speaker of the house.
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Truss' tactics are arguably more reserved as she relies on a steely delivery to challenge her political frenemies. The prime minister has admitted to not being the strongest public speaker in the past, and political pundits have suggested that she is still forging her identity as a leading figure.
Her first speech outside No10 was criticised for being robotic and business-like - but some prefer this straight-talking delivery over Boris' bumbling chaos that often evades the point of discussion.
As Liz Truss climbed the ministerial ladder, she gradually changed her public speaking style - adapting her voice from high pitched and fast to low and slow elocution - a tactic Margaret Thatcher famously adopted.
Miles away from pompous tangents and Johnsonite jargon, Truss' reserved rhetoric may well be a jarring change for Starmer as he will be under intense pressure to push the PM for answers on the cost of living crisis.
Chris Arning, a public speaking expert and member of speech skills organisation Toastmasters International, tells The Mirror that the contrast between Johnson and Truss' stage presence, demeanour and use of language couldn't be more stark.
"Johnson has a home counties accent and appears to be bumbling along slightly garbling his words, this being a style which confirms his roguish persona," he says.
"He then suddenly raises to a crescendo of mock indignation. He will speed up and rattle off volleys of phrases and/or invective to ram home his point."
Commenting on the former PMs background, Arning adds: "It is worth remembering that Boris Johnson debated at Oxford and that helped forge a combative style".
Meanwhile, Truss is "more monotone in her speaking style, injects less emotion into her voice and looks less energised in general" according to the expert.
"When she modulates her voice, it is quite restrained and never quite hits the highs. Truss has occasional attentional blinks where she seems unsure of what she is saying though, to date, she has recovered quickly," he reveals.
It's not only their speech style habits that differ - Johnson's physical appearance and stage presence taps into the unpolished charm that he clings onto in an attempt to seem relatable despite his privileged background.
Arning explains: "Much has always been made of Boris' dishevelled shabby demeanour and the way he slightly stoops when he speaks. It is all part of his, 'too cool for school' character.
"Much of Boris' personality serves to demonstrate that he is an outsider to formal structures (though ironically of course having a very establishment upbringing), breaking protocol and flouting political correctness.
"His eccentric antics and sound bites are perfect media fodder. Many suspect these tactics are used to demonstrate that he is not just a politician but his own man."
In a bid to appear more serious and respectable than her ousted predecessor, Truss takes a more earnest approach when it comes to her stage persona.
According to the speech expert, our new prime minister "speaks with a very upright posture and appears to be the epitome of rectitude. She is earnest and plain speaking and stands up appearing to give a statesmanlike figure".
Arning believes that Truss has yet to "fully lay claim to a signature style" but suggests that this could be a breath of fresh air for political dynamics.
"Perhaps the British public is tired of the constant blarney and obfuscation from a PM eventually forced to resign in the wake of a corruption scandal and wants more seriousness from its leaders," he muses.
Today's PMQs will be a telling moment for our new leader as she is propelled into parliamentary debate in the eye of the economic storm.
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