by RM Nair
LONDON, Sept 5: British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is the new Prime Minister,
it was announced on Monday at 12:30 pm local time (5 pm IST), after the counting of Conservative party votes. Truss defeated runner-up and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak by 81,326 votes to 60,399. She will be the third woman Prime Minister of the UK after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
Delivering her victory speech, Truss said, "I will take bold action to get all of us
through these tough times, grow our economy, and unleash the United
Kingdom’s potential...I know, we'll deliver, we'll deliver, we'll deliver."
Sunak tweeted, "I've said throughout that the Conservatives are one family. It's
right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country
through difficult times."
Mary Elizabeth Truss, 47, who has been the frontrunner in a neck and neck race
with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak for No 10 Downing Street to replace Prime
Minister Boris Johnson who had resigned, was declared elected by Sir Graham
Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs and returning officer
for the polling.
There were 1,60,000 voters across the country casting their postal ballots.
The Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), the headquarters of the British
Conservative Party, was the official organiser of the polls. Truss will be the
PM for the ramainder of BoJo's term, till 2024.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel in the morning on Tuesday to Balmoral
castle in Scotland where Queen Elizabeth is currently staying to hand over his
resignation. Usually the function takes place in Buckingham Palace but not this
time as due to health reasons she willl not be coming back to the palace soon.
So also the PM-designate will reach there and accept the appointment from the
Queen. A ritual called "kissing of hands" between the outgoing and the designate
PMs follows, where actually nothing happens. At 4 pm the new PM will make a
speech outside 10 Downing Street where as Prime Minister she will outline her
plans and policies and launches herself as the new PM. By this time the Cabinet
will be in place. At noon on Wednesday will be the customary Question Time in
the House of Commons where the PM faces the Opposition leader.
Runner-up Rishi Sunak, who timed his resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer
recently such that it set off a chain of resignations by about 60 ministers
and officials leading to a rattled Boris Johnson's resignation, earned the notoriety
of stabbing in the back BoJo who gave him space in the Cabinet. Although the
Britons called it only as questionable "integrity". He looked like having struck
BoJo at the most opportune moment and in the fastest way. The PM had just managed
a confidence motion not long ago! At the end of his farewell BoJo appeared to
have had an emotional upheaval over having to leave the "best job" in the world
as also the fact that sections of his partymen ditched him. He left the stage
abruptly. But before leaving he had pointed to a section in the audience.
Boris Johnson was determined to hit back. Truss was not in the reckoning at
that time when others began announcing their candidature. BoJo reportedly backed
her and she emerged as the dark horse. It is said he did whatever he could in
whatsover way to mobilise support for her to defeat Sunak who had for quite
some been trying to earn the image of the next prospective PM candidate. And
in that he succeeded. Once it was rumoured that BoJo was behind an underground
camapign against Sunak that he is a US green card holder and will one day run
away.
Conservative party members from across the UK numbering 1,60,000 cast their
votes to choose a Prime Minister in place of Boris Johnson, who resigned as
he was losing majority support in view of a series of scandals and a host of problems like uncontrolled inflation and rising cost of living mainly due to high energy costs and supply issues.
There had been five to six rounds of voting by party MPs to narrow down the
list of contestants. Once the number came down to two, the party members from
all over the country cast postal ballots to choose the new Prime Minister.
WHAT THEY PROMISED
SUNAK:
(Rishi Sunak, 42, served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022,
previously was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. A member of the Conservative
Party, he has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond since 2015. Of Indian
origin, he is a British born citizen.)
Taxes, inflation, cost of living, energy bills, Brexit, Net Zero: The
UK is currently facing an enormous economic crisis eluding a resolution for
several months now, especially made harder by the covid pandemic and the Ukrainean
invasion. The problems are: Inflation has hit a 40-year record in July and the
consumer prices increased 9.1% over the last 12 months. It's the fastest increase
in prices since November 1981. High energy bill following Ukrainean invasion
is the main contributor. There are also shortages of goods, recession, supply
bottlenecks etc.
No tax cut: Sunak said he will not reduce taxes because taxes are required
to balance the books after the pandemic dole-out and record borrowing. A $ 18
billion package was provided in May to set off cost of living crisis.
More support for households to neutralise price rise: Now he will again
offer fresh support to lower income people. This may be unlike of a Conservative
policy but he wanted to do really bold things.
As for green levies, he wanted it to continue to meet the target set
for 2050.
About Brexit, he had been a supporter since 2016, the very beginning
he was in the Governmnet.
About household heating bills shooting up, Sunak promised more money
will be pumbed in to support the low income people as the situation has worsened.
"I will act. Government efficiency savings will fund support," he said. Energy
bills constitute a major chunk of the rising cost of living, which has emerged
as the main issue. During the pandemic, he had offered substantial support to
pay workers to prevent layoffs. Sunak claims wherever he goes people come up
and say "thank you." He was bold in action, especially while doing things non-Conservative
in nature.
TRUSS:
(Mary Elizabeth Truss, 47, is the British Foreign Secretary since 2021.
She was Minister for Women and Equalities since 2019. A member of the Conservative
Party, she has been Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk since 2010.)
Taxes to be cut: On the other hand, Truss said she "will start cutting
taxes from day one," corporate etc. She claims this will lead to economic growth
and that will take care of the problems. She assumed that that would put the
country on 'autopilot.'
Interest rates: She said she will review the Bank of England's mandate
to fix interest rates. But later she tended to make a volte face like she opposed
Brexit in 2016. Betraying a lack of vision.
Climate: She is committed to 2050 net zero but said will slash the levies.
Will try to find better ways to raise resources.
No concrete plans: She had always evaded a direct answer, saying she
"will act immediately" upon taking over, not specifying any concrete plan, to
help households get through the winter. She wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that
she will get cracking within the first week. There will be immediate action
on checking the price rise, rising energy bills and the supplies.
Thatcher: Dressing like Thatcher, wanting to be bold like her but not
knowing what to do really. She is the third woman PM after Margaret Thatcher
and Theresa May.
Brexit: She beat a hasty retreat on Brexit to be on BoJo's side.
Surveys like YouGov had projected Truss as the front-runner all through
but at the closing hustings Sunak had recovered a lot of lost ground.
) 
