On Monday, September 5th, Liz Truss, who had been serving as foreign secretary, took over as Britain’s prime minister; only two other women have held that position in the country’s history. Her election, however, was the result of a tumultuous period in Parliament during which the previous Conservative Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, resigned after a series of scandals.
Since Johnson resigned before the next election, the Conservative Party held a leadership contest between the most influential members of their party. Truss won with 80,000 votes, 20,000 more than her competitor, Rishi Sunak.
Truss was formally appointed as the new prime minister by the Queen only days before Her Majesty passed away. This, and the gap in power between the time Johnson stepped down and Truss took over has only worsened the unrest many in the country feel.
Now in power, Truss faces mounting pressure to resolve some of the most pressing issues in the country, starting with inflation.
Still recovering from the aftermath of COVID-19, the war in Ukraine has worsened the economic disparities and increased prices. Aside from the general disruptions to the supply chain in many European countries, Russia has also restricted their natural gas exports to countries like the U.K. who have shown support for Ukraine.
Inflation in the U.K. has gone up by 10%, which is higher than experts predicted. It has had the largest impact on energy prices, but has also affected other living costs.
The Bank of England predicted that the country could be entering a recession expected to last until next year and has responded by increasing their interest rate. While this is meant to help curb inflation in the long-term, it has added to the economic struggles of many families.
While the government has provided some financial support to struggling households, pressure for a solution has only increased.
Truss has responded to this by promising to decrease inflation and take preventive steps against it. She favors tax cuts to the approach the government has been taking until now.
“I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy,” Truss stated. “I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long term issues we have on energy supply.”
Despite this, many are reluctant about her approach. While Conservatives in the country may agree with her plans to cut taxes, it doesn’t represent the entirety of the population.
“Until she’s got an answer on that, she doesn’t have a claim to the popularity of the country, I think,” Bronwen Maddox, Director of Chatham House, a think tank, stated regarding the rising prices.
With Truss taking over Johnson’s role and King Charles III taking over the Queen’s positions, a new era of leadership is upon the U.K. during a time of struggle for many British people. With Truss announcing plans meant to significantly ease the burden on people, the next few months will be significant in determining the prime minister’s popularity in the country and the effectiveness of her approach.
