AS ballot papers are about to hit the doorsteps of Conservative Party members Thurrock Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price has delivered a message to local party members, telling why she is backing Liz Truss to be the country's next Prime Minister.

Ms Doyle-Price relates the longstanding relationship she has with the candidate currently going head-to-head with Rishi Sunak for the Tories' leadership and says she will certainly be a prime Minster with a hands-on knowledge of the borough.

She says: "Liz and I have been friends for more than half our lives. Indeed she and her family have knocked on a fair few doors in Thurrock over the years. 

"We were Conservative activists in South London where she became a councillor in Greenwich before going on to stand for Parliament. She is warm and funny as well as ambitious, focused and decisive. She has served in the cabinets of the last three Prime Ministers across six departments and clearly has the experience needed to lead our great nation at a challenging time.

"My instincts as a Conservative are that taxpayers should keep as much of their own money as possible and I can attest that Liz is a fiscal Conservative to her fingertips. She has been able to promise tax cuts by treating the COVID debt as a war debt to be paid back over a longer period. At a time of economic challenge the highest rates of tax in decades will not encourage the economic growth we need to enrich our nation.

 "As Foreign Secretary Liz has proved her ability to project Britain on the world stage and remain robust in the face of aggression.

 "As International trade Secretary she has championed free trade and negotiated an impressive range of trade deals.

Longstanding friends: Jackie Doyle-Price with Liz Truss in 1997.

"And as Secretary of State for Women and Equalities she has been robust in championing the rights of women.

"At the Treasury she met with representatives of the logistics sector in Thurrock to work up the detail of the Freeports policy and at DEFRA she approved the investment to renew the flood defences at Tilbury

"I am confident that Liz has all the qualities we need in our next Prime Minister. I know she will always be motivated by the best interests of our country. We are in for a difficult period. The strains of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine are playing out in greater economic challenges for our nation. 

"We need a leader who is serious, steely and determined. Liz is it."