The Secretary of State is currently proposing her case for being elected head of the Tories by: Conservative Party members across the country. New polls show the foreign minister has a huge lead over her rival Rishi Sunak among Tory believers. An opinion poll for The Observer gave Ms Truss a 21-point lead over the former Chancellor.
Sixty-one percent of those polled said they would support Liz, while only 39 percent gave Rishi a thumbs up.
The new prime minister is likely to get a big boost in the polls, raising the question of whether they should gamble on early elections.
With economic data going in the wrong direction and more storm clouds on the horizon, quick elections may make sense.
The UK economy is projected to hit buffers in the coming years as fears of recession and inflation mount.
Next year inflation could reach 15 percent and the UK could be plunged into an economic downturn.
Last week, the Office for National Statistics said the UK economy had contracted 0.1 percent in the last quarter.
However, analysts think things are set to get much worse, with GDP likely to fall further next year.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “While we are seeing increasing signs of underlying weakness in the economy, we don’t expect a more severe downturn until the end of this year.”
The next general election will take place in January 2025 at the latest.
As there are no guarantees that the economy will have recovered sufficiently by then, the new 10 Downing Street incumbent could be advised to take advantage of any poll after taking office.
The Opinium Poll also found that a majority of Tory members wanted Boris Johnson to remain in office.
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When given the choice of whether Mr. Johnson is still in number 10, or whether Ms. Truss takes over, about 63 percent said they would rather have Mr. Johnson still be in charge.
The numbers were even more damning for Mr Sunak, as 68 percent supported the current prime minister over his former chancellor.
Opinium’s Chris Curtis said the Secretary of State was almost nailed to win the leadership contest, despite pining for her current boss.
He said: “From the moment we knew the last two candidates, it was clear that Truss has had all the momentum, and our latest poll shows just how big her lead among party members has become.
“As many members have already turned in their ballots, it is now very unlikely that Truss will not become prime minister in September.
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“Obviously Sunak’s biggest problem is trust.
“While some members respect his economic arguments, this was not enough to overcome members’ opinion that he is not fair or trustworthy enough for the top job, especially after calling on Johnson to leave.”
The deadline for voting in the leadership contest is September 2.
The new leader and therefore prime minister is expected to be announced on September 5, when the House of Commons returns from the summer recess.