It was the first time in the Queen’s 70-year reign that power was handed over at her summer resort, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London. The ceremony, known as “Kissing Hands”, was moved to Scotland to provide certainty about the schedule due to the 96-year-old’s mobility issues.
Before heading north, Johnson addressed the nation surrounded by his family and a crowd of supporters, defiantly defending the scandal-hit period that was eventually cut short by a rebellion from his deputies.
He called his party to unite behind Truss during the “tough times” facing the country of 67 million, who will eagerly await her speech for hints on how it plans to deal with rising energy bills and a looming winter of stagnation and employment. disturbances.
With his trademark mix of blast and blast, Johnson likened himself to a mission-accomplished booster missile and a Roman commander, Cincinnatus, who famously left power and retired to a small farm—to later return as dictator.
The classic reference would do little to dampen media speculation that the ousted leader might actually be planning a return, or those supporters who lamented his departure and lack of enthusiasm for his successor.
“I’m like one of those booster rockets that did its job,” Johnson said. “I will now gently re-enter the atmosphere and fall invisibly into a remote and mysterious corner of the Pacific,” he added. “Like Cincinnatus, I’m back to my plow.”
The country’s problems have worsened over the past two months because Johnson has had no power to make major political decisions after announcing his plan to step down.
Uncertainty rocked the money markets, sending the pound down to $1.15, its weakest performance against the dollar since the 1980s.
Truss, 47, takes office a day after 172,000 Conservative Party members elected her to lead their party.
It is a small, conservative government, she says, whose priority is to cut taxes and reduce regulations to support economic growth. Critics say it will fuel inflation while failing to tackle the cost of living crisis.
After winning the race to succeed Johnson, Truss promised to “fulfill” the economy, the energy crisis and the country’s battered health care system, though she gave few details about her policies.
Truss is under pressure to explain how she plans to help people and businesses struggling to pay energy bills that are set to rise next month to 3,500 pounds ($4,000) for the average household – three times the cost of last year.
UK price hikes driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraineearthquake aftershocks Corona virus disease The pandemic and Brexit have pushed inflation above 10% for the first time in four decades.
Truss’ first task will be to appoint a cabinet to address the mountain of challenges facing the government.
It will also face several foreign policy crises, including the war in Ukraine and frosty post-Brexit relations with the European Union.
As Secretary of State, Truss has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s resistance to Russian invasion, and as Prime Minister, she will continue the UK’s civil and military support for Kiev. She said her first phone call with a world leader would be with the president Volodymyr Zelensky.
She is likely to hold quieter talks with EU leaders, who have been upset by her hardened stance as foreign minister in talks over Northern Ireland’s trade rules, the unresolved Brexit issue that has strained relations between London and Brussels.
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