The British will know this Monday the name of their new head of government, with the Foreign Minister Liz Truss as a favorite to succeed Boris Johnson and take the reins of a country shaken by high inflation.
The result of the internal vote of the Conservative Partyfrom which will come the name of the leader of the formation and new prime minister, expected at 12:30 local time.
If Liz Truss (47 years old) prevails over her rival, former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak (42), will be the third woman to lead a government in the United Kingdom, after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May.
The polls place her as the favorite in the elections, in which some 200,000 militants participated.
The race for leadership began in July, when Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation, cornered by a series of scandals and a cascade of resignations in his government.
Mail-in and online voting closed on Friday, after eight weeks of campaigning that Truss described to the BBC as “the longest job interview in history.”
The result, however, is not representative of the mood of public opinion.
In a YouGov poll in late August, 52% responded that Truss would be a “bad” or “terrible” first administration if elected.
43% said they do not trust her “at all” when it comes to attacking the problem of the cost of living, which dominated the campaign.
HARD START
Whoever is the winner, the next head of the British government will face “the worst entrance for a new prime minister since Thatcher”in the words of Sunday Times.
The country is feeling the effects of 10% inflationthe highest level in 40 years, fueled by a spike in energy prices induced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the use of gas as a political weapon.
An inflation that during the summer gave rise to numerous protest strikes, mainly in the transport sector.
The energy bill of households will rise by 80% from October, and Millions of families will face a painful dilemma between eating and heating their homes this winter.
“If I am elected prime minister, I will act immediately on the issue of energy bills and supply,” Truss told the BBC this Sunday, without giving details.
“In a week I will make sure there is an announcement on how we are going to deal with this,” he added.
Truss promised on the campaign trail to cut taxes and prioritize economic growth as the country heads into a recession at the end of the year.
The candidate said this Sunday that “in a month” she concluded a complete tax reduction plan, “to kick-start the British economy.”
TRANSFER OF CONTROL
The announcement this Monday by the Conservative Party, in power for 12 years, would lead to a series of events.
On Tuesday, Johnson will deliver his farewell speech in Downing Street.
He will then hand in his official resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, who will then name Johnson’s successor.
For the first time in his long reign, The 96-year-old monarch will name the new head of government at a ceremony at her Scottish castle, Balmoral.and not in London at Buckingham Palace.
A novelty that is due to the queen’s mobility problems, which forced her to cancel several commitments.
Johnson’s successor will then return to London, to deliver his first speech at 10 Downing Street, form a government and debate in Parliament with Opposition Leader Keir Starmer on Wednesday.
(With information from AFP)
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Source-www.infobae.com