Liz Truss offers us the same politics as Boris Johnson. Only a General Election can save us.
Liz Truss is the new Prime Minister of the UK. While we send her congratulations on the result, she takes over a country mired in trade problems, a skyrocketing energy crisis, frosty relations with Europe, and an economy in recession. While electing a new Prime Minister should provide a fresh start, sadly, we’re going to get more of the same politics that we saw under Boris Johnson.
Many of Britain’s problems have been caused by 12 years of Conservative governments, in particular those relating to Europe. In their desperation to prove the success of Brexit, the government has attacked the EU at every opportunity, and has used it as a scapegoat for many of Britain’s domestic problems.
Liz Truss was not innocent in this. Despite voting Remain in 2016, she has shifted her values to portray herself as a Brexiter. But instead of dealing with the problems caused by Brexit, she has sought to blame the EU for these problems. As Foreign Secretary, she attacked EU and French officials for border & trade problems in Dover, and attacked EU and Irish officials for problems in Northern Ireland. She has threatened to remove the Northern Ireland Protocol numerous times, and has pledged to remove it as Prime Minister too.
Her cabinet is likely to be equally as anti-EU as Boris Johnson’s, if not worse. Some of those in her cabinet include Jacob Rees-Mogg, an ardent Brexiter who advocated for a no-deal Brexit based on WTO rules, and Suella Braverman, who has advocated for Britain to leave the ECHR so that it can deport immigrants to Rwanda.
The cost-of-living crisis will likely dominate her first months in power. Britain has seen the highest increase in energy prices in Europe, with prices increasing by a staggering 215%* on average since the start of the year (based on official figures from the OECD). Although Liz Truss has promised action, she has been reluctant to tax energy companies who have seen huge profits. This is in stark contrast to other European countries that have taxed energy companies and introduced price caps.
Liz Truss offers nothing new for Britain. Britain deserves a fresh start, but another pro-Brexit Tory Prime Minister won’t offer that. We need a General Election to fix the rot that has infected British politics.
