Will Liz Truss save Britain? The UK’s new prime minister starts work at lunchtime today, facing a crisis-torn future and armed with a fiercely different set of political ideas.
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Aged 7, she played Thatcher. Now she is PM
Will Liz Truss save Britain? The UK's new prime minister starts work at lunchtime today, facing a crisis-torn future and armed with a fiercely different set of political ideas.
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For any new prime minister, arriving at Downing Street is a mind-boggling experience. First there are all the crowds outside. Then, inside, the staff of Number 10 all lined up to clap. Finally, you stand in the CabinetThe senior ministers in a government, who attend regular direct meetings with the prime minister. Room as the person in charge of the whole country.
A former cabinet secretaryThe most senior civil servant in the UK. , Gus O'Donnell, calls the process "quite scary".
Few of the people who knew Liz Truss when she was young thought she would become prime minister. At seven, she took the role of Margaret ThatcherBritain's first female prime minister and the longest-serving prime minister of the modern era. in her primary school's mock general election - and got no votes. At her secondary school in Leeds, according to a classmate, she "just hung with the geeky kids".
But she was always determined to win. When her family played Monopoly, and she was doing badly, "she might sort of disappear rather than lose," says her brother Francis.
Her parents had left-wing views and took her on CNDThe Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a British organisation that opposes nuclear weapons. Its logo is widely known as the peace symbol. marches. At Oxford, she joined the university's Liberal Democrats, but then switched to the Conservatives. Some people believed she supported shocking points of view to win attention.
She was elected an MP in 2010, aged 34. Last year she became foreign minister.
In the EU referendum, she campaigned for Remain. But when the vote went in favour of Leave, she changed her mind.
Some see this as evidence that she has no real principles, but will say anything to win people over.
In a recent article, she defined herself as "as freedom-loving, tax-cutting Conservative" who would take "bold action" to reduce red tape. Kwasi KwartengA British Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Liz Truss from September to October 2022., who is expected to be her Chancellor of the Exchequer, says Britain will borrow more money to pay for tax cuts.
Others say tax cuts will do little to help the poor, and will mean the government has too little money. The Financial Times warns of a budget deficitThe debt is the total amount of money that the government owes, but the deficit is the difference between how much the government spends and how much it earns. of £60bn within three years.
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Will Liz Truss save Britain?
Yes: In the current situation, bold action is needed, and she will provide that. Cutting taxes will encourage people to work harder and create more wealth for everyone. More defence spending is essential.
No: It is vital to restore faith in politicians, and a prime minister who goes whichever way the wind blows will not do that. Even in her own party, many doubt her grasp of economics.
Or... Even if she proves a bad prime minister, that could re-energise the UK. As Simon Kuper writes in the Financial Times: "Despair rarely lasts. Hitting rock-bottom can be a productive national moment."
Keywords
Cabinet - The senior ministers in a government, who attend regular direct meetings with the prime minister.
Cabinet Secretary - The most senior civil servant in the UK.
Margaret Thatcher - Britain's first female prime minister and the longest-serving prime minister of the modern era.
CND - The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a British organisation that opposes nuclear weapons. Its logo is widely known as the peace symbol.
Kwasi Kwarteng - A British Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Liz Truss from September to October 2022.
Budget deficit - The debt is the total amount of money that the government owes, but the deficit is the difference between how much the government spends and how much it earns.
Aged 7, she played Thatcher. Now she is PM
Triumphant: Liz Truss (above) took 57% of the votes in the Conservative leadership content. Glossary
Cabinet - The senior ministers in a government, who attend regular direct meetings with the prime minister.
Cabinet Secretary - The most senior civil servant in the UK.
Margaret Thatcher - Britain’s first female prime minister and the longest-serving prime minister of the modern era.
CND - The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a British organisation that opposes nuclear weapons. Its logo is widely known as the peace symbol.
Kwasi Kwarteng - A British Conservative politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Liz Truss from September to October 2022.
Budget deficit - The debt is the total amount of money that the government owes, but the deficit is the difference between how much the government spends and how much it earns.