Liz Truss today (September 6) takes over as prime minister, having won the race to become leader of the Conservative Party. Boris Johnson leaves the role after three years and 44 days in office.
Truss becomes PM without facing a general election. So when is the next election due to take place?
Unless an earlier vote is called, general elections happen every five years under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. This means the next election will be called no later than January 24, 2025, as the last election was December 2019.
Read more: Liz Truss gives big hint to voters on date of next general election
In this scenario, Parliament would be dissolved in December 2024, meaning Truss would get just over two years before going to the polls. In her victory speech after beating Rishi Sunak to become party leader, though, Truss said she would deliver "a great victory for the Conservative Party in 2024", suggesting the election would be a little earlier.
One possible date would be May 2, 2024, when many voters will already be going to the polls for local elections. Truss may though prefer to leave it later in the year, perhaps early autumn, to give herself more time to make an impression on voters.
Usually, a prime minister does not call an early general election unless they believe they can win it. At the moment, most opinion polls show Labour with a commanding lead.
If there were to be an early election for any reason, it would follow a pattern. The 2017 and 2019 elections were both called early by the sitting PM, with the Conservatives winning both times.
Truss is the third leader of the Conservative Party since 2016. A YouGov survey showed that the majority of people think this leadership contest has shown the Tory party in a bad light.
Meanwhile, Truss, who will travel to Balmoral to accept the role of prime minister from the Queen later on Tuesday, is thought to be drawing up plans for a freeze in energy bills which could cost around £100bn.
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