Prime Minister Liz Truss delivered her resignation speech as her husband, Hugh O’Leary, stood nearby at Downing Street in London on Thursday. Truss was prime minister for just 44 days.
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Prime Minister Liz Truss delivered her resignation speech as her husband, Hugh O’Leary, stood nearby at Downing Street in London on Thursday. Truss was prime minister for just 44 days.
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LONDON – The UK was once synonymous with stable, reliable, if sometimes dull, governance. But Prime Minister’s resignation Thursday Liz Truss – after six weeks in office – shows how turbulent British politics have become in recent years.
Truss is the fourth prime minister to resign since the 2016 Brexit vote. It was the fastest turnover in a century. Number 10 Downing Street has become a revolving door.
What’s wrong with you? Analysts here say it’s a story of polarization, populism, a flawed political system and poor leadership that has at times put party and personal ambitions ahead of interests. benefit of the country.
Historical rate miscalculation
It begins with former Prime Minister David Cameron, who called a referendum about leaving the European Union. Cameron hopes the vote in 2016 will end a civil war within his own Conservative Party over Britain’s relationship with Europe and keep the party in power.
Prime Minister David Cameron and Premier George Osborne delivered speeches on the potential economic impact of the UK’s departure from the EU, at the B&Q Store Support Office, on 23 May 2016, in Chandler’s Ford , Older brother.
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Prime Minister David Cameron and Premier George Osborne delivered speeches on the potential economic impact of the UK’s departure from the EU, at the B&Q Store Support Office, on 23 May 2016, in Chandler’s Ford , Older brother.
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It was a miscalculation of historical rates. The British people voted to leave the EU by a small but convincing percentage. The results not only highlight Britain’s bitter divisions, but also change the course of its foreign, economic and trade policies. Most political scientists and economists predict that leaving the EU will make the island nation poorer and less politically relevant.
It was immediately clear that the architects of the Brexit vote, including its most effective campaigner, Boris Johnson, had no real plan for undoing economic ties. economic and legal with the EU for decades. Political turmoil followed.
Cameron resigns after the referendum and Theresa May became prime minister. In another major miscalculation, she called a snap election in 2017, only to lose control of her party’s House of Commons.
British Prime Minister Theresa May holds a Cabinet meeting to discuss each department’s Brexit action plans at the Prime Minister’s country retreat Checkers in Ellesborough, England, on August 31, 2016.
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British Prime Minister Theresa May holds a Cabinet meeting to discuss each department’s Brexit action plans at the Prime Minister’s country retreat Checkers in Ellesborough, England, on August 31, 2016.
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Mrs May has repeatedly tried to push a Brexit deal through parliament, only partially thwarted by the anti-European faction in her party, which wants a clean divorce from Europe. Brexit has finally brought Mrs May down like her predecessor.
Then the party turned to Johnson, a charismatic if deeply flawed performer who had a record of winning elections. He has campaigned to “get Brexit done.” Johnson led the party to a resounding victory in 2019. The following year, he completed the UK’s departure from the EU and appeared poised to rule for years.
The Myth: Scandinavian Welfare at American Taxes
Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which Johnson had underestimated, until he ended up in the intensive care unit with the virus. His government’s slow response to COVID has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths – the highest number in Europe – and has been heavily criticized. But what ended Johnson’s term as prime minister? that he lied.
Family members pay their respects next to the body of a loved one, who died of COVID-19, during the coronavirus pandemic crackdown at Manchester Central Mosque in Manchester, UK, on February 24, 2021.
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Family members pay their respects next to the body of a loved one, who died of COVID-19, during the coronavirus pandemic crackdown at Manchester Central Mosque in Manchester, UK, on February 24, 2021.
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While Johnson’s government ruled out social gatherings to limit the spread of Covid, government employees held parties. Meanwhile, most Britons stick to the rules, even if it means not saying goodbye to dying loved ones. Johnson insists his government has complied with lockdown regulations. In fact, it turns out he attended two events. He was forced to apologize and pay the fine. Politically, Johnson is over.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his farewell address before officially resigning in Downing Street, London on September 6.
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers his farewell address before officially resigning in Downing Street, London on September 6.
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Truss replaced Johnson in September, promising to kickstart the economy with tax cuts for corporations and the rich without reducing public spending.. Against a backdrop of 10% inflation here and a rise in energy prices because of the war in Ukraine, Truss’ plan spooked financial markets, crashed the pound and sent mortgage rates skyrocketing.
Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said one reason Tory prime ministers such as Johnson and Truss protested was because they had promised the public things they could not deliver. In Johnson’s case, it was an inexpensive and hassle-free Brexit; and with Truss, the tax cuts are not refundable.
Bale, who has the new book, said: “It’s a fantasy that many Brits are willing to believe, that because of our supposedly glorious past, we too enjoy a present or future. equally glorious,” says Bale, whose new book is. Conservative Party After Brexit, released in March. “I think politicians continue to feed the myth that we can have Scandinavian welfare based on American tax rates.”
Patrick Dunleavy, professor emeritus of political science and public policy at the London School of Economics, says that flaws in the UK’s system of government and the way the Conservative Party selects leaders also contribute to the situation. turmoil is taking place. Prime Ministers are free to appoint people to very important jobs without congressional oversight like you have, for example, with Senate confirmation hearings in the US Dunleavy said that it allowed Truss to appoint Kwasi Kwarteng, a little-known political ally, as prime minister of the Exchequer, Britain’s treasury secretary. Truss fired Kwarteng on Friday after their joint economic plan devastated financial markets.
Chancellor Liz Truss with husband Hugh O’Leary after her keynote speech on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, UK, on October 5.
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Chancellor Liz Truss with husband Hugh O’Leary after her keynote speech on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, UK, on October 5.
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Dunleavy says another problem is that party leadership is not decided by MPs, but by party members, who – in the case of the Tories – tend to be whiter, older and conservative than the rest of the British population.
“They are not well informed or not very important as a voter,” says Dunleavy. “So they made a bad choice, really, with Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.”
NPR London producer Morgan Ayre contributed to this story.
