LONDON — Liz Truss will become the UK's next prime minister.

She beat off competition from former finance minister Rishi Sunak to become the leader of the ruling Conservative Party.

It comes after the resignation of Boris Johnson triggered a leadership contest, following a string of scandals surrounding him and his government.

Truss and Sunak were the most popular candidates among Conservative Party MPs.

The pair were then put forward to the party's members to choose who will be the next party leader, and, prime minister.

Truss won 81,326 of the votes and Sunak 60,399, Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 backbench committee, announced on Monday.

Truss had long been considered the frontrunner in the race. After voting closed on Friday, Truss pledged to act within a week to tackle soaring energy bills and rampant inflation. She's also proposed a big package of tax cuts, worth tens of billions of euros.

Sunak, meanwhile, has emphasized waiting until inflation falls before launching tax cuts and has talked up his record of public help to individuals and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, as a sign of his sound economic management.

Truss will officially take the reins at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, inheriting a challenging economic situation with costs of living spiraling and energy prices continuing to rise. — Euronews