New UK leader promises to tackle energy crisis, economy
Last edited Tue Sep 6, 2022, 01:27 PM - Edit history (2)
Source: AP
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, left, welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. (Jane Barlow/Pool Photo via AP)
LONDON (AP) — Liz Truss became U.K. prime minister on Tuesday and immediately confronted the enormous task ahead of her amid increasing pressure to curb soaring prices, ease labor unrest and fix a health care system burdened by long waiting lists and staff shortages. At the top of her inbox is the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which threatens to push energy bills to unaffordable levels, shuttering businesses and leaving the nation’s poorest people shivering in icy homes this winter.
Truss, who refused to spell out her energy strategy during the two-month campaign to succeed Boris Johnson, now plans to cap energy bills at a cost to taxpayers of as much as 100 billion pounds ($116 billion), British news media reported Tuesday. She is expected to unveil her plan on Thursday. “We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we face, “ she said in her first speech outside her Downing Street office. “As strong as the storm may be, I know the British people are stronger.” Truss said she would focus on tackling Britain’s energy crisis, struggling economy and overburdened health service.
She promised to grow the economy and make the U.K. an “aspiration nation,” but acknowledged the country faces “severe global headwinds” because of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Truss, 47, took office Tuesday afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, when Queen Elizabeth II formally asked her to form a new government in a carefully choreographed ceremony dictated by centuries of tradition. Johnson, who announced his intention to step down two months ago, formally resigned during his own audience with the queen a short time earlier. It was the first time in the queen’s 70-year reign that the handover of power took place at Balmoral, rather than Buckingham Palace in London.
The ceremony was moved to Scotland to provide certainty about the schedule, because the 96-year-old queen has experienced problems getting around that have forced palace officials to make decisions about her travel on a day-to-day basis. Truss became prime minister a day after the ruling Conservative Party chose her as its leader in an election where the party’s 172,000 dues-paying members were the only voters. As party leader, Truss automatically became prime minister without the need for a general election because the Conservatives still have a majority in the House of Commons. But as a national leader selected by less than 0.5% of British adults, Truss is under pressure to show quick results.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-queen-elizabeth-ii-boris-johnson-inflation-economy-04ef887cf023d80606f7c6ccf2d5ac68
Looks like the final "formality".
Article updated again. Last update and headline -
LONDON (AP) -- Liz Truss became U.K. prime minister on Tuesday and immediately confronted the enormous task ahead of her amid increasing pressure to curb soaring prices, ease labor unrest and fix a health care system burdened by long waiting lists and staff shortages. At the top of her in-box is the energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which threatens to push energy bills to unaffordable levels, shuttering businesses and leaving the nation's poorest people shivering in icy homes this winter.
Truss, who refused to spell out her energy strategy during the two-month campaign to succeed Boris Johnson, now plans to cap energy bills at a cost to taxpayers of as much as 100 billion pounds ($116 billion), British news media reported Tuesday. She is expected to unveil her plan on Thursday. "You must know about the cost of living crisis in England, which is really quite bad at the moment," Rebecca Macdougal, 55, who works in law enforcement, said outside the Houses of Parliament.
"She's making promises for that, as she says she's going to deliver, deliver, deliver," she said. "But we will see in, hopefully, the next few weeks there'll be some announcements which will help the normal working person." Truss took office Tuesday afternoon at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, when Queen Elizabeth II formally asked her to form a new government in a carefully choreographed ceremony dictated by centuries of tradition.
Johnson, who announced his intention to step down two months ago, formally resigned during his own audience with the queen a short time earlier. It was the first time in the queen's 70-year reign that the handover of power took place at Balmoral, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London. The ceremony was moved to Scotland to provide certainty about the schedule because the 96-year-old queen has experienced problems getting around that have forced palace officials to make decisions about her travel on a day-to-day basis.
Article now updated. Original article -
Truss, 47, took office in the carefully choreographed ceremony with the monarch a day after the ruling Conservative Party announced that Truss was elected as its leader.
Her predecessor, Boris Johnson, formally stepped down during his own audience with the queen at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
= new reply since forum marked as read
You take the social awkwardness of Theresa May, cross it with Boris Johnson's wild eyed incompetence, add just a sprinkling of Maggie Thatcher's hatred of the working classes and then just wipe off any residual charisma with a damp cloth.
Jonathan Pie
... now we're talking about the 99% of Britons 
(or in the above case, that looks like a sack!
)