Entrance to Downing Street names wide-ranging government to ride out Liz Truss ‘storm’

After campaigning on a promise of tax cuts, the third British female head of government since Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990) and Theresa May (2016–2019) took office amid an economic crisis and a historic downturn. Electricity due to increase in energy bills.

Upon his return from Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II officially invited him to form a government to replace Boris Johnson, appointing the first heavyweights in his government.

For the first time, none of the four key executive positions of Prime Minister, Finance, Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs were occupied by whites. These are very conservative and loyal personalities to Liz Truss, although with a noble background of the British elite.

A discreet former secretary of state at the Foreign Office, James Cleverley, 53, whose mother was from Sierra Leone, became head of diplomacy. Suella Braverman, 42, a former lawyer, has a file of Home Affairs and illegal Channel crossings.

After all, 47-year-old Kwasi Kwarteng, the son of immigrants from Ghana, is being promoted to the position of finance minister, on the front lines of inflation that has exceeded 10%, the highest among the G7 countries, and threatens to worsen. and plunged the country into its longest recession since the 2008 financial crisis.

The group of first ministers will meet on Wednesday morning before the new leader faces opposition leader Keir Starmer for the first time in parliament.

“This week” activities

“We must not be daunted by the challenges we face,” Liz Truss told dozens of MPs gathered outside her Downing Street home, who had to shelter from pouring rain moments before her arrival. “I know that as strong as the storm is, the British people are stronger. (…) I am confident that together we can weather the storm and rebuild our economy”.

He reiterated his “bold plan” of tax cuts and promises to act “this week” to help families strangled by energy bills. It is set to announce a multi-billion-pound plan on Thursday to freeze electricity and gas prices, which are expected to rise by 80% in October, according to British media.

So far the head of diplomacy has said he wants to defend “freedom and democracy everywhere in the world with allies of the United Kingdom”, with a bellicose tone willingly against Russia or China.

He had his first phone conversation with US President Joe Biden. Both leaders agreed on the importance of “preserving” peace in Northern Ireland, as Downing Street’s head of diplomacy, Liz Truss, introduced legislation to overhaul Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit status quo.

Liz Truss pledged her “full support” to Ukraine on Tuesday in her first call to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

On the domestic scene, Liz Truss has much to do to unite a divided Conservative Party, twelve years in power and heavily outpolled by Labor in the polls two years from the scheduled date of the next general election.

The day after she was elected with 57% of the Conservative Party’s 142,000 voting members (against 43% for her rival Rishi Sunak), Liz Truss was welcomed by Queen Elizabeth II at the Scottish castle of Balmoral. Given the difficulties of getting to London, the sovereign chose this unusual arrangement to avoid returning to London.

Johnson pledges his support

Footage from the audience shows the Queen with a cane, wearing a tartan skirt and cardigan, shaking hands with the 15th Prime Minister of her 70-year reign.

Two months after announcing his departure, Boris Johnson tendered his resignation to Balmoral, which the Queen “graciously accepted”.

In a brief speech outside Downing Street in the early hours of the morning, Boris Johnson praised his own achievement to supporters and aides. He compared himself to a “rocket that has accomplished its mission” and re-entered the atmosphere. “I will give my strong support to this government,” he said.

Exit Brexit hero: After three years and 44 days, Boris Johnson left what he called “the best job in the world” after a series of scandals and dozens of resignations in 2019, ahead of his replacement Theresa May. Close entourage in early July.