Members of the Conservative Party, the majority in the British Parliament, have chosen: unsurprisingly, the current Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, was elected to become the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after the resignation of Boris Johnson in July , announced the party, Monday, September 5. Ms. Truss won by a wide margin (57%) against her rival, the former finance minister, Rishi Sunak (43%), according to the results announced by Graham Brady, responsible for organizing the poll.
The approximately 200,000 members of the party had to decide between two competitors via a postal and online vote organized from 1er August to September 2. The outcome of the ballot left little room for suspense as Mme Truss was ahead in the polls. According to a YouGov survey published on July 21, 62% of Tory members questioned preferred her, against 38% saying they were ready to choose Mr. Sunak (a difference of twenty-four points).
Ms. Truss, 47, thus becomes the third woman to lead the British government, after Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) and Theresa May (2016-2019).
Member of Parliament for Norfolk (East of England) since 2010, Mme Truss has chained different ministerial positions under three prime ministers since 2012 (environment, justice, treasury, gender equality, etc.). In her youth, she was an activist with the Liberal Democrats (center) before joining the Conservatives.
She is now positioned very to the right within her party. In 2016, Mr.me Truss voted against Brexit, before changing his mind and becoming adamant on the issue. She has also fiercely defended the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, this bill unraveling crucial parts of the Brexit treaty, which Brussels considers a violation of the United Kingdom’s international commitments. In the end, she managed to pass for the continuity candidate, overplaying loyalty to Mr Johnson.
“Working with allies and friends”
The outgoing British Prime Minister, who is due to present his resignation to Elizabeth II on Tuesday, September 6, called on the Conservative Party on Monday to rally behind Liz Truss, who won the race to succeed him, but inherits a majority weakened by scandals and divided by the countryside. “Now is the time for all Tories to support her 100%”tweeted the leader, assuring: “She has the right plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of unifying and leveling our country. »
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday she hoped “full respect [des] chords » between the UK and the EU after the election of Liz Truss. “The EU and the UK are partners. We face many challenges together, from climate change to war in Ukraine. I hope for a constructive relationship (…) »she wrote on Twitter, while Mme Truss threatened to override the post-Brexit deal London signed with Brussels on Northern Ireland.
Emmanuel Macron assured Monday that France was “available to be able to work with allies and friends” with the new British Prime Minister. “I say welcome Liz Truss. I express to him all the congratulations of France (…) »said the head of state during a press conference.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was looking forward to working “in these difficult times” with Liz Truss. “The UK and Germany will continue to work closely together, as partners and as friends”added the chancellor on twitter.
A particularly difficult economic situation
Resolutely liberal, M.me Truss campaigned on a single proposition: tax cuts. However, she did not specify how she would help the British to cope with inflation, nor how she would finance public services in serious lack of means.
For his part, Mr. Sunak has put the fight against inflation (more than 10% over one year in July) at the top of his priorities, deeming the promises of tax cuts by Mr.me Truss. He also suffered from a traitor image that precipitated the downfall of Mr. Johnson, still very popular with party members. At the beginning of July, he resigned from his post as finance minister, followed by around sixty members of the government, tired of the pranks of the prime minister. Mme Truss had stayed.
Mme Truss inherits a particularly difficult economic situation. Inflation is likely to rise further, reaching 22% in 2023, according to Goldman Sachs’ worst-case scenario. The social context is no less explosive: railway workers, dockers, lawyers… the rise in the cost of living has provoked unprecedented strikes in the country since the 1980s.
The British are particularly worried about soaring energy prices. On 26th August the national regulator of the gas and electricity market announced that the average annual household bill was going to drop in October from 1,971 to 3,549 pounds sterling (from 2,279 to 4,104 euros). It could even reach 6,000 pounds sterling in 2023. At these levels, 25% of Britons will no longer be able to pay their bills, as will tens of thousands of schools, hospitals or SMEs.
