British Prime Minister Liz Truss To Focus on Economy, Energy and Healthcare

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Liz Truss, the Former U.K. Foreign Secretary was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Tuesday by its monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Ms. Truss was declared the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest on Monday, beating former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Ms. Truss stated that her focus would be on three priorities: the economy, the energy crisis facing the country and the improvement of the National Health Service (NSH).

The new Prime Minister faces enormous economic challenges domestically — starting with combating rising energy prices and a cost of living crisis. Her other set of problems are the political challenges, such as resolving a messy consequence of Brexit involving Northern Ireland’s customs borders. She will also have to navigate another call for independence of Scotlan. Ms. Truss had vehemently opposed a call for a second referendum.

The new prime minister, standing outside Downing Street, said that she would transform Britain into an “aspiration nation”. To achieve this, she would be cutting taxes and pushing reforms to grow the economy. She made the statement after her arrival from Scotland, where she was appointed by the Queen as the new prime minister.

The prime minister also claimed that she would dance the energy crisis head on. “The energy crisis caused by the war of Putin on Ukraine will be dealt with hands on,” Ms. Truss said. The statement comes after her promise over the weekend that she would soon be making an announcement of a plan within one week of starting office to tackle short term energy price challenges and longer term supply issues. The Financial Times reported that she was working on a GBP 100 billion plan to protect households and businesses from soaring energy bills this winter. 

She will also be making attempts to unite her party while putting together a cabinet to deliver her program. The ‘four great offices of state’ — the posts of Prime Minister, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary –  for the first time in history, are likely to be held by people who are not white males, as widely noted by the British press.