Liz Truss took to the stage at the Conversative Party conference to the sounds of "Moving On Up" by 90s pop group M People. 

That was very much the message the British Prime Minister emphasised in her address to party members – She is "Getting Britain Moving".

There was no new policy announcement in the prime minister's speech, which comes after a challenging party conference that saw senior Tories falling out and publicly voicing disapproval over Truss's refusal to commit to increasing social support benefits in line with inflation.

It has been a tough few weeks for Liz Truss.  She inherited a country in crisis from predecessor Boris Johnson in September. Post pandemic Britain is bearing the brunt of a cost-of-living crisis, worsened by the situation in Ukraine and its impact on energy prices.

After being briefly interrupted by Greenpeace protesters on stage in the English midlands city of Birmingham, the prime minister spoke about the energy crisis and the support now available under her government to people facing higher bills.  

Much of the leader's speech focused on defending her plans for economic growth which have faced wide spread criticism since the announcement of the mini budget. 

The extensive tax cuts promised caused ripples through the financial markets and a severe drop in the pound. Earlier this week Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng said the government would no longer be removing the 45p tax rate on higher incomes which was one of the most controversial measures announced in the mini budget. 

That policy change in itself added to the party conference's challenges. Truss said in her speech that the U-turn was because the issue had become a distraction but that she and her finance minister Kwarteng were still "in lockstep" on monetary and fiscal policy.

The Prime Minister was adamant that she will forge ahead with her economic plan, saying that "the status quo is not an option." 

Truss also took aim at what she labelled "the anti-growth coalition." That included opposition parties, "militant" unions and environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion. 

She called them "enemies of enterprise" who don't understand the "frustration and challenges of normal working people." This comes on the same day rail workers around the UK walked out on another large-scale strike, following a summer of strike action over pay by unions in the public sector.

Tough times lie ahead for the British Prime Minister, still new to office and it remains to be seen how effective her speech will be in unifying her party and the country behind her and her plans.

Cover photo: British Prime Minister Liz Truss speaks on stage at Britain's Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham. Reuters/Toby Melville