London
CNN
—
Liz Truss is next British prime ministera political chameleon who went from being a radical who called for the abolition of the monarchy to being a standard-bearer for the Euroskeptic right wing of the Conservative Party.
trussFreshly elected to Congress in 2010, in a relatively short period of time she has established herself as a natural political force who pursues her agenda with relentless vigor and unequivocal zeal.
But after decades of change in which her personal views have changed greatly, many will ask what Britain’s new leader stands for.
Many who have observed her over the years have wondered if she has sincere beliefs or simply stands by what is most convenient at the time.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Truss, 47, has been on a political journey. She was born in 1975 into a family that she describes herself as “the left side of the Labor Party”, the leading left wing in Britain. Party. She grew up in a part of England that traditionally did not vote Conservative and moved between Scotland and northern England.
In contrast to his privately educated Cabinet colleagues, Truss attended public school in Leeds, Yorkshire, and later attended Oxford University. There she was an active member of the Liberal Democrats, a centrist opposition party that had long been an effective opponent of the Conservatives in much of Britain.
During his time as a Liberal Democrat, Truss supported cannabis legalization and cannabis abolition. royal family – A position completely at odds with what most consider to be the mainstream of conservatism in 2022.
Truss says he joined the Conservative Party in 1996. That was just two years after he gave a speech at a Liberal Democrat conference calling for the end of the monarchy.
Even when she was a Liberal Democrat, her peers questioned her sincerity, finding traits still seen in her today.
Neil Fawcett, a Liberal Democrat MP who campaigned with Truss in the 1990s, told CNN, “Honestly, at the time she was talking about decriminalizing drugs. I think she was playing in the gallery, whether she was talking about the abolition of the monarchy. I don’t know then or now if I ever believed in
Truss certainly continues to capture the attention of audiences. Since joining the Conservative Party and becoming an MP, she has enthusiastically supported almost every ideology imaginable. Under her three prime ministers, she dutifully served in several different cabinet duties, most recently as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Most notably, she supported remaining in the European Union in the 2016 UK referendum. At the time, Truss tweeted that he was “supporting those who wanted to stay on the block because it was in the UK’s economic interest and meant they could focus on what was important.” Domestic economic and social reforms. ”
Mr Truss backed Brexit and said pre-referendum concerns that Brexit could cause “chaos” were wrong.
Recently, the new leader even honed his Brexiteer credentials to the point of refusing to call French President Emmanuel Macron an ally. When asked during her live broadcast whether she was an enemy or an ally, she replied: “The jury is out.”
There is debate within the Conservative Party about how realistic this endorsement of euroskepticism is. Some think Truss he reluctantly followed a government order against her Brexit in 2016, while others think the argument is unimaginable.
Former Conservative minister and anti-Brexit activist Anna Soubry told CNN that Truss was “the most covered of us to support Brexit.” included the farming community who supported Brexit across the board, and I sat around the cabinet table asking everyone why they did what they did.
Meanwhile, Gavin Burwell, former Prime Minister Theresa May’s chief of staff, said after the Brexit vote, “The Truss made a very quick decision that there was no room for compromise. If you do it, As the stalemate continues, she faces a choice between a no-deal Brexit and a reverse Brexit, the latter of which would be devastating for the government. claimed to be deaf.
The closer she came to power, the more Brits wondered what Truss’ premiership would look like. . She has promised to cut taxes from her first day, remove EU regulations and encourage growth in the private sector with low corporate taxes. She says she won’t impose a windfall tax on energy companies despite making huge profits amid the current cost of living and energy crisis.
Of course, this kind of policy was red meat for the Conservative MPs who ultimately voted for her. Some who know her wonder how much she actually believes in them, but I hope she implements them and feels her impact immediately. There is little doubt that we will do our best.
A Truss administration could end up looking a lot like Johnson’s, but with a greater focus on tax cuts, fewer states, and potentially even tighter borders with Europe.
Critics say her promised tax cuts will lead to further inflation and higher interest rates amid a predicted recession. was also questioned. Her economics were questioned by her critics, and the uproar over perceived callousness to public sector workers forced Truss into a U-turn.
Julian Glover was a journalist, a speechwriter for former Prime Minister David Cameron, and a college student contemporaneous with Truss, whose traits are still recognizable today.
“We just passed each other, she was in another year than I was, but nevertheless, she stood out in my memory as a kind of strange, unfocused force that greatly advocates for action and change.” She stands out in it,” Glover told CNN.
Roger Crouch, who succeeded Truss as head of the Liberal Democrats at Oxford University, told CNN he remembers women who were “resolute, single-minded, orthodox and dominant, often willing to challenge the wisdom of men.” said.
Unlike many who knew Truss when he was younger, Crouch, now a teacher, believes his views haven’t changed much since the ’90s. So there’s a consistent line of thought there, and I remember the student debate group where she advocated for the privatization of street lighting.”
Truss will struggle to unite her party, which has been in power for 12 years, six of which have been bitterly divided over Brexit.
She also has to lead the country through the worst cost of living crisis in decades. Inflation is her highest in 40 years, energy bills are rising by hundreds, possibly thousands, of pounds a year and the UK is projected to slip into recession by the end of the year.
Inflation topped 10% in July for the first time in 40 years, largely due to rising costs of energy, food and fuel. Inflation will surge to 13% by the end of the year, according to the Bank of England. The central bank has also predicted that the UK will enter recession by the end of her 2022.
Analysts are skeptical that the Truss’ tax cut policy will help citizens. The Fiscal Institute, an independent research group focused on public finances, said last month that candidates for leadership who had promised tax cuts and cuts in government spending would “see this greater-than-usual uncertainty in public finances. We need to recognize that,” he said.
This winter, many families will have to choose between heating and eating. And for a party that has been in power for over a decade, it’s hard to shift that responsibility to someone else.
Her supporters see an opportunity for a fresh start at Truss. They believe that Brexit will be out of the limelight and the scandal that led to Johnson’s downfall will soon become a distant memory.
For her detractors, it’s more complicated. During this leadership contest of hers, those who supported her rivals feel she was unfairly vilified simply by arguing that Truss should have been handed the keys to Downing Street.
This could be a problem for Truss when it comes to running the country. worsened over time.
And for all of Truss’ determination and single-mindedness, she takes over a party torn apart by infighting and suffering in the polls during a domestic crisis. You might think it would be too difficult to achieve the important goal of making your party electable in the next general election.
Source: www.cnn.com
