Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson… Since the financial crisis of 2008, and with Brexit and now the energy crisis in between, the history of all the last British prime ministers is the history of so many other failures, some more fulminating than others. And now it is the turn of Liz Truss, from today the new British leader, elected by conservative militants after the beheading of her predecessor, in a questionably democratic process (less than 0.3% of the population has decided).
At 12:37 p.m., on a mild, sunny day in late summer, Truss, the current Foreign Secretary, officially became Tory leader and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a clear victory (81,326 to 60,399 votes) over her rival , former head of Economy Rishi Sunak. The conservative bases have opted for her as a contemporary and somewhat mythological version of Thatcher, who meets most of the requirements for the position: blind and unconditional faith in Brexit, the free market and neoliberal capitalism, a willingness to lower taxes no matter what, promise to bury the laws and regulations of the European Union that are still in force, and hostility towards Brussels, especially on the issue of Northern Ireland.
For the ambitious Truss, 47, who has switched parties (from the Liberal Democrats to the Tories) from criticizing Brexit to supporting it with the faith of converts, it is the culmination of a political career and a personal journey. full of curves and potholes. Originally promoted by Cameron, Theresa May lacked the authority and strength to get rid of her, and Johnson reinvigorated her as a reward for her loyalty. She has held five different handbags, without shining in a special way in any of them, but taking the opportunity to be photographed with the Union Jack wherever she went, and posting the photos on social networks as a sign of her patriotism. Her nicknames are “Queen Liz” and “the queen of Instagram”.
She is hyperactive, very hard-working (unlike Johnson), but not empathetic or a good speaker, prone to jinxes. She has a circle of intimate collaborators formed over the years who are going to play a prominent role in the new government. When faced with a problem, she is not afraid to explore the most radical or crazy ideas. His impulsive nature often gets him into trouble, such as when he recently said it was unclear whether French President Macron was a friend or foe of Britain, or when he proposed lowering the pay of nurses and civil servants in poor northern regions of England. to reduce expenses, despite the brutal rise in the cost of living. She operates collegially and delegates, but in a selective manner. And when she makes a decision, there is no one to take her out of her thirteen.
In his first speech to the country after announcing his victory, Truss made the usual call for unity, both within the Conservative Party and in a country that is increasingly fragmented ideologically and territorially, with half of Scotland eager to become independent, an increase in sentiment sovereignist in Wales and numerous Northern Irish ready for the reunification of the island. She said that despite being elected by a tiny minority, she will work for the welfare of the whole world. He asked to have confidence in her and in the future of Great Britain, and not be carried away by catastrophism, no matter how dark the panorama appears.
One thing in Truss's favor is that the economy is so bleak, and Boris Johnson has dropped the honesty bar so low, that no matter how well he does, voters will give him a chance. Tomorrow he will travel to Balmoral (Scotland) to be sworn in before the queen, whose mobility problems have led him to break with tradition and not take over in London. And then she will address the country more extensively than today, with an outline of his plans. The immediate challenge, which she cannot wait for, is the energy crisis, and sources close to her have been negotiating with business leaders the terms of a freeze on gas and electricity prices. The prospect of monthly bills of more than 600 euros would mean the closure of pubs, shops and all kinds of businesses, and that many families either could not pay, or had to choose between being cold or eating. After spending 400,000 million euros on pandemic aid, the Treasury will have to find another 100,000 million or more, when public debt is already 105% of GDP. Very dangerous terrain.
Truss's gestures, promises and speeches in the last two months have been directed at conservative militants who had the name of Johnson's successor in their hands, and at their neoliberal instincts. It will soon be seen if he actually goes for that line of tax reduction despite inflation, or if he changes course at the risk of offending those who have brought him to power. His situation is precarious, because the majority of the Tory parliamentary group preferred his rival Sunak, and the number of staunch allies he has in the House of Commons is no more than thirty. To which we must add that Johnson is not completely giving up, and does not rule out returning to Downing Street. His cabinet will be made up of radical Eurosceptics, with Kwasi Kwarteng, the current Business Minister, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Minister of the Economy, and Suella Braverman in charge of the Interior and willing to make life even more difficult for asylum seekers.
Brown paid the price of the financial crisis and the erosion of Labour, Brexit took Cameron and May away, and Johnson self-destructed himself with his excesses and illegal parties in Downing Street. Liz Truss has two and a half years, until the next elections, to defeat the monsters of the Ukraine war, Putin's expansionism, inflation, the cost of living and the deplorable state of public health. To mention only the scariest.
