Truss Has Inherited A Troubled United Kingdom With Many Challenges Looming

While casino goers might be enjoying playing at an online casino these days, the UK political landscape has undergone a significant overhaul. After Boris Johnson tendered his resignation as prime minister, Elizabeth Truss was sworn in as the prime minister of the United Kingdom at an audience with Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday. In an official photograph, the former foreign secretary, who is 47 years old, was seen shaking hands with the queen after accepting her invitation to form a new government and becoming the 15th prime minister of the monarch's reign, which has lasted for 70 years. 

The queen, who is 96 years old, was considered unsuitable to go back to London because of her ongoing health issues, so the symbolic ceremony took place at her isolated resort in Balmoral, located in the Scottish Highlands. Balmoral played host to the last transfer of power ceremony in British history in 1885, a time when Queen Victoria was still on the throne. 

In the usual events, the departing and new prime ministers pay a visit to the queen at Buckingham Palace, located in the center of London. It has only been held outside of London once, when 1952, when the incumbent prime minister Winston Churchill greeted the then-new queen at Heathrow Airport following her father's death, King George VI. 

Truss's New Team

After a grueling campaign that started in July, Truss was declared the victor of a vote held internally by members of the Conservative party. She is now expected to name her senior ministers, and it is anticipated that the selections will be finalized before she convenes her first meeting of the cabinet and responds to questions in parliament. 

It has been announced that Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has been promoted to the position of Finance Minister. At the same time, Attorney General Suella Braverman has been given the challenging role of Home Secretary, and James Cleverly has moved to the position of Foreign Affairs Minister. This is the first time in the history of the United Kingdom that none of the four senior cabinet offices are held by a white man. 

The Challenges That Await Truss

Due to the United Kingdom being in the throes of the most significant economic crisis it has seen in decades, with double-digit inflation and skyrocketing gas and energy rates, the prime minister is going to be faced with a hefty to-do list. In spite of concerns that more borrowing may make inflation worse, Truss, who promotes herself as a free-market liberal, has pledged to lower taxes to spur economic development. 

On Tuesday, the British media claimed that she would freeze energy rates for struggling homes and businesses, a move that might cost over $100 billion. The stark difference between her attitude and that of her defeated leadership candidate Rishi Sunak, who took a more cautious stance, has further fractured the Conservative party, which was already in disarray after Johnson's resignation. 

Recent opinion surveys in the United Kingdom reveal that a large portion of the general population does not trust in her abilities to address the problem of rising costs of living. According to a recent survey conducted by YouGov, just 14% of people believe that Truss, who will be the fourth Conservative prime minister in six years, would do a better job than Johnson. 

Johnson's Reign As PM And Political Future

Borris Johnson, whose stint as prime minister was dominated by Brexit and Covid and cut short by several scandals, had previously offered Truss his unwavering support at a parting address in Downing Street. He asked the Conservatives to set aside their ideological differences, which have resulted in the party fighting amongst itself like cats and dogs over the most effective way to deal with the energy issue. 

It has been widely speculated that he may be biding his time for a potential return, especially if Truss is unsuccessful in resolving the country's myriad of issues. However, during her acceptance speech on Monday, Truss vowed to win the election in 2024 and ruled out the possibility of obtaining her mandate from the people in an early general election.