Liz Truss became prime minister on Tuesday after Boris Johnson resigned. She met with Queen Elizabeth II.
In an official photograph, the 47-year-old former foreign secretary shakes hands with the monarch as she accepts her offer to become the monarch’s 15th prime minister in her 70-year reign.
The queen, 96, was too ill to go to London, so the ceremony was place at Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands. Buckingham Palace said the queen met with Elizabeth Truss and asked her to lead a new cabinet. Ms. Truss kissed Her Majesty’s hands when named prime minister.
In 1885, during Queen Victoria’s reign, Balmoral last changed hands. Outgoing and new prime ministers typically meet the monarch at Buckingham Palace.
Winston Churchill visited the future queen at Heathrow Airport after her father’s death in 1952. Truss won a vote of Conservative party members on Monday after a July campaign.
Her first speech as prime minister is slated for Tuesday at 4 p.m., weather permitting (1500 GMT). Storms and heavy rain are anticipated, highlighting the dismal economic climate she and her new cabinet face.
The picks should be finalised before her first cabinet meeting and parliamentary questioning on Wednesday. Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, will likely become finance minister, James Cleverly will handle foreign policy, and Suella Braverman will be home secretary.
If confirmed, none of Britain’s four senior cabinet seats would be held by white men for the first time.
Schedule
The UK is witnessing double-digit inflation and soaring gas and energy prices. Future PM will have a long to-do list. Truss, a free-market liberal, has promised tax cuts despite warnings that greater borrowing could worsen inflation.
According to British media sources on Tuesday, she will freeze energy bills for struggling businesses and households.
Rishi Sunak’s more cautious posture has divided the Conservative party, which was already split over Johnson’s departure.
Recent polls show that many Britons lack trust in her ability to manage the cost-of-living challenge. A recent YouGov poll found that only 14% of individuals think Truss would perform better than Johnson.
In his farewell speech in Downing Street, Johnson, whose term was marred by Brexit and Covid, guaranteed Truss his support. Before leaving for Balmoral, he said, “I’ll support Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way.”
He urged the Tories to set aside their ideological differences to successfully address the energy situation. If Dilyn (his dog) and Larry (the Downing Street cat) can overcome their challenges, so can the Conservatives.
Comeback?
Former newspaper polemicist Johnson couldn’t quash rumours he’d return to politics. He said, “Like Cincinnatus, I’m ploughing.” Latin academics noted the Roman statesman’s return to politics.
Johnson, 58, is liked by conservatives because he guided the country out of the EU. Johnson is apparently upset about leaving despite receiving a record-breaking police fine for violating his own lockdown regulations.
It’s possible he’ll return if Truss can’t address the nation’s problems. Truss ruled out an early election in her victory address on Monday.
