Shortest British Prime Minister’s tenure in UK history (Box)
AA / Istanbul
British Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, ending the shortest prime ministerial tenure in UK history.
This is what emerged from Truss’s resignation statement, which was read outside the government seat at 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday.
Truss’s resignation comes after internal disagreements over her economic policies have caused her popularity to decline and anger has resurfaced among Tory MPs.
Truss announced that elections will be held next week to choose his successor at the top of his political establishment, adding that he will remain in office until a new prime minister is appointed.
Truss suffered another setback on Wednesday after the resignation of Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
*Only 45 days in post (chronology):
– September 5: Truss wins party leadership
Liz Truss (judge) won the leadership of the Conservative Party and became the head of government, succeeding Boris Johnson, who was forced to resign after a series of scandals.
With this victory, Truss became the third woman in the history of Great Britain to hold the post of Prime Minister.
– September 6: Truss is appointed Prime Minister of Great Britain
Johnson formally submitted his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, and Truss was nominated to replace him as Prime Minister
– September 8: Announcement of a series of measures to reduce the cost of energy consumption
Truss has announced that the government will end high energy bills for two years to reduce the economic impact of the war in Ukraine. It is a plan that will cost the country tens of billions of pounds.
– September 8: Death of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96 after a long reign. Ten days of national mourning were declared, effectively suspending political activity.
– September 20-21: participation in the work of the United Nations General Assembly
Truss flew to New York, USA, during his first foreign trip as prime minister to attend the work of the United Nations General Assembly, in person and for the first time, American President Joe Biden.
– September 23: “mini budget”
Britain’s Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng has drawn up a “mini-budget” that includes 45 billion pounds ($50 billion) in unfunded tax cuts and a huge increase in public debt, which has sent sterling and British government bonds tumbling.
– September 26: Pound sterling hits record low
The pound has hit its lowest level against the dollar in the markets after the announcement of record tax cuts in almost 50 years in the UK.
– October 3: Repeal of plans to cut taxes on high incomes
Britain’s government has scrapped plans to cut taxes on high earners as part of a series of unfunded cuts that have sent shockwaves through financial markets and a record plunge in the pound.
– October 14: Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng is dismissed and Jeremy Hunt is appointed
British Prime Minister Liz Truss has fired Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng over his “mini-budget”, which has sparked a storm of political and popular criticism.
In addition to raising corporate tax to 25%, he appointed Jeremy Hunt to replace him.
– October 20: resignation
Truss tendered his resignation just over six weeks after his appointment, under pressure from his economic programme, which has shocked markets and led to a revolt by some conservatives.
** Political background
After leaving high school, Truss attended Oxford University, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics while campaigning in the student ranks of the Liberal Democrats before joining the Conservative Party.
In 2016, he was appointed Minister of Justice in Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, and the following year he became Deputy Minister of the Treasury; a position that allowed him to be at the center of the government’s economic program.
During Boris Johnson’s tenure, from 2019 Truss held the post of International Trade Secretary before being appointed Foreign Secretary in 2021 when Dominic Rennie Raab moved to the Department of Justice.
Among his key positions is his call for the withdrawal of all Russian forces from the country following Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine last February.
Moreover, he supported the British who wanted to go to Ukraine to fight against the Russian armed forces.
At the 1994 Liberal Democrat Convention, he spoke for the abolition of the monarchy, saying: “We Liberal Democrats believe in equal opportunities for all and we do not believe that people are born to rule.”
Mary Elizabeth Truss, also known as Liz Truss, is 47 years old, born on July 26, 1975 in Oxford.
*Translated from Arabic by Hatem Kattou
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