LONDON (Washington Insider Magazine)- Following the appointment of a cabinet that is diverse in terms of gender and race and unified in its support for the new leader’s firmly free market ideas, British Prime Minister Liz Truss is convening her first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
During the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions debate in the House of Commons, Truss will also confront her political foes for the first time as leader, according to ABC NEWS.
Truss, 47, won an internal election to head the ruling Conservative Party and was subsequently named prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday.
She quickly imposed her style on the government by ousting numerous ministers from the Boris Johnson cabinet, particularly those who had supported Rishi Sunak, her challenger for the leadership.
She appointed Kwasi Kwarteng to be her Treasury chief, which is a crucial position for a Cabinet whose inbox is influenced by the energy crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This crisis threatens to drive energy prices to unaffordable levels, forcing businesses to close, and leaving the country’s poorest citizens shivering at houses this winter. Kwarteng is the first person of color to hold the position, officially known as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Therese Coffey, a supporter of Truss, is appointed Britain’s first female deputy prime minister and takes over as minister of health as the publicly financed National Health Service struggles to meet rising demand and diminishing resources in the aftermath of COVID-19.
For the first time, no white male is now serving as prime minister, home secretary, foreign secretary, or chancellor of the United Kingdom. Suella Braverman, who is of Indian descent and is in charge of immigration and law and order, has been named home secretary, replacing James Cleverly, whose mother is from Sierra Leone.
Truss made her first statement as prime minister on Tuesday, promising to “deal hands on” with the energy problem, strengthen the NHS, and slash taxes to boost economic development. However, she provided little specifics on how she would carry out her proposals. On Thursday, she’s anticipated to reveal her energy-related plans.
Truss intends to control energy costs, according to British news outlets. That action may cost the taxpayers 100 billion pounds ($116 billion).
“We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we face,” Truss said in her inaugural address as prime minister. “As strong as the storm may be, I know the British people are stronger.’’
