Curator Liz Truss has officially become the 56e Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (and the third woman in this post) around noon on Tuesday September 6, during her first interview with the Queen, as is British constitutional tradition. This meeting took place at Balmoral Castle, in Scotland, and not at Buckingham Palace, due to the health problems of the 96-year-old sovereign. Following the perfectly mastered choreography of the transfers of power across the Channel, Boris Johnson had preceded her by a few minutes in the summer residence of Elizabeth II to submit his resignation.
Mme Truss immediately flew back to London, where, again as usual, she gave her first leadership speech outside the famous gate of 10 Downing Street, between two heavy downpours – the weather was also perfect. British. “I know that together we can weather the storm, we can get our economy back on track and transform the UK into the modern, bright country that it can be,” she said, recalling her promise of reforms ” bold » and tax cuts for “to boost growth”. The leader faces a dire economic situation, with a country likely already in recession and millions of Britons soon unable to pay astronomical energy bills.
Beyond the protocol, the day was especially marked by the appointment of the Truss government: a business carried out smoothly because largely anticipated in recent days. First observation: the astonishing diversity of this new cabinet. Since ex-Prime Minister David Cameron undertook, from 2005, to rejuvenate, feminize the Conservative Party and promote more representatives of ethnic minorities, the appointments of politicians of African or Asian origin to key positions have become commonplace. Under the Johnson era, Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Priti Patel, at the Home Office, were of Indian origin. Sajid Javid, in health, was from a Pakistani family.
This time, none of the four main positions in the Truss cabinet – starting, of course, with that of prime minister – goes to a white man. Kwasi Kwarteng, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, is of Ghanaian origin. At the Home Office (Ministry of the Interior), Suella Braverman is of Indian origin. James Cleverly, appointed foreign minister, is of Sierra Leonean origin. “This cabinet is proof that you can succeed in the Tory party regardless of your background, responded Samuel Kasumu, Mr. Johnson’s former diversity advisor. It remains to also diversify our electorate, it is decisive for the success of the party. »
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