Truss will be appointed Prime Minister by Queen Elizabeth II this Tuesday, after which she will move to Downing Street. But there is no talk of a triumphant reception for the former foreign minister. Since a change in the party’s internal election rules, a winner has never received less than 60 percent of the votes cast – Truss now came to only 57 percent. A total of 81,326 party members voted for her, around 0.17 percent of the voting population. The gap to rival Rishi Sunak, who received a good 60,000 votes, was smaller than expected.
“The result means that Truss will have to deal with the economic crisis without an overwhelming mandate from her party,” political scientist and author Mark Garnett told the German Press Agency. “Their position is likely to be in jeopardy within months unless the prospects for Britain and the Conservatives improve dramatically.”
For the first time, the party base chose a different candidate than the parliamentary group, “Politico” quoted a state secretary as saying. Ex-Finance Minister Sunak had more support there.
Political heavyweights such as the outgoing Prime Minister Johnson and Sunak immediately called on the party to rally behind Truss. But she did little on her first appearance to spread a spirit of optimism. According to the Guardian newspaper, the short victory speech was “surprisingly bad”, wooden and boring. “Apart from expecting the next general election in 2024, she didn’t say anything memorable.”
The members still hope for a turnaround, the party is fed up with the constant changes. Truss will be the fourth prime minister in six years. During the election campaign, she presented herself as a representative of the right wing of the party. Truss promised radical tax cuts and wants to stick to the internationally criticized plan to permanently deport migrants who have entered the country illegally, regardless of their background, to East African Rwanda.
After the first words of the new party leader, the members gave a “standing ovation” in an almost demonstrative manner. But the new hope cannot be celebrated for long, the to-do list is too long. “Huge” is the mailbox that Truss is now taking over, said Baroness Emma Pidding, who sits in the House of Lords for the Tories, the dpa. The Independent reporter Andrew Woodcock tweeted: “Most new prime ministers get a honeymoon period – stepping into the middle of a hurricane.”
Above all, rising energy costs are causing existential fears among consumers. In her first speech, Truss announced quick measures to cushion the exploding electricity and gas prices. As the newspapers “Times” and “Telegraph” reported, she is considering freezing the costs at the current level. That would cost tens of billions of pounds and further increase the mountain of debt. Because Truss has announced that it will reduce taxes immediately. Coping with the health crisis, with millions of Britons awaiting treatment or surgery, will also require big bucks – not to mention a hefty defense budget planned.
On foreign policy, Truss is likely to continue supporting Ukraine. It is likely to be more difficult in the relationship with the EU, with which Great Britain is arguing about special Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. A trade war is feared if Truss, as expected, terminates a legally binding agreement. In her congratulatory tweet, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen therefore warned of compliance with international agreements. Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted: “I look forward to our working together in these challenging times. The UK and Germany will continue to work closely together – as allies and friends.”
Incumbent Johnson resigned at the beginning of July after several scandals such as the “Partygate” affair about lockdown parties at the seat of government. However, the 58-year-old is still very popular in the party and is considered by many members to be the only candidate who can win the general election. The opposition Labor Party is currently leading the polls. Familiars are already saying that Johnson’s comeback is by no means impossible. As a simple member of parliament, the populist initially remains a member of parliament.
The fact that the day of Johnson’s farewell has now come did not arouse enthusiasm among his opponents. A few dozen well-known anti-Brexit demonstrators gathered in front of the London Congress building where the election results were announced. During the “Partygate” affair, her “Bye, bye Boris” chant echoed through the government district of London. Now lines of a song by the band Tears for Fears sounded across the square. “When people run in circles, it’s a very, very mad world” means something like “When people run in circles, it’s a very, very mad world.” The demonstrators do not expect a seriously different policy than under Johnson after the new start.
GOVERN BY INFLATION AND WAR
During the election campaign, Truss promised to do something about the rapidly rising cost of living first and foremost. Within a week, she intends to present a plan to curb skyrocketing energy costs. So far, she has not said exactly how this is supposed to work. She has repeatedly announced tax cuts – despite warnings from some experts that this could fuel inflation even further. Skepticism also spread in the financial world, especially after Truss said the role of the for the monetary policy want to take a closer look at the responsible central bank. Some investors then withdrew from UK government bonds and sterling investments.
In terms of foreign policy, Truss has positioned herself more clearly simply because of her previous role as Great Britain’s chief diplomat. Like Johnson, she has emerged as a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s war against Russia. It is expected that the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, will be the destination of one of their first foreign trips. In the European Union, on the other hand, one should be prepared for the fact that the tussle over the shape of future relations will continue. Before the 2016 referendum, Truss was still in favor of Britain remaining in the international community, but she is now an ardent supporter of Brexit.
LONDON / BERLIN (dpa-AFX / Reuters)
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