Liz Truss won the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party leadership contest yesterday, meaning she’ll succeed Boris Johnson as the country’s prime minister. As the UK barrels toward an economic recession, getting the job is like taking the keys to the sputtering family Corolla your sister left you when she went to college.
Who is Liz Truss? The new PM is described by her supporters as loyal and by her opponents as opportunistic. Here is a quick LinkedIn bio:
In 2014, Truss became the youngest woman to be cabinet minister in British history.
She’s worked under three prime ministers, most recently as foreign secretary for Johnson.
Truss originally opposed Brexit, but became one of its biggest boosters after the fact.
Here’s what she’s up against
Inflation that’s even worse than in the US: Annual inflation in the UK is above 10% and some analysts are estimating it may not peak until next year, when it hits 18% or even 22%. The situation is only going to get worse as it gets colder. Annual household energy bills are expected to jump 80% in October as Russia continues throttling gas flows.
Political instability: Truss won with only 57% of the party votes, a much smaller margin than expected. She also wasn’t chosen in a general election. Because Johnson, who resigned in July following years of scandal, was a Conservative prime minister, only dues-paying party members could vote for his replacement. Bookmakers are anticipating that her tenure will be a short one.
Rough international waters: She’s ready to jump right in and scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol, a Brexit agreement that kept trade flowing smoothly through Northern Ireland, which borders the Republic of Ireland, an EU country. This move is vehemently opposed by the EU. Scottish lawmakers are also worried Truss will try to change laws and make it harder for Scotland to declare independence from the UK.
Looking ahead…according to the BBC, Truss’s first order of business will be to freeze energy bills so citizens don’t have to rely on wool sweaters exclusively this winter. It’s unclear how the government expects to pay for that, though, as Truss has staunchly opposed raising taxes on energy companies or wealthy individuals.
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