Britain’s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, convenes her senior ministers for an inaugural cabinet meeting on Wednesday on her first full day in the office before she faces a barrage of questions in parliament.
Truss, who officially became leader Tuesday at an audience with the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland after the resignation of Boris Johnson, is set to meet her top team at a morning meeting.
They include the most diverse top team in British history ever: Kwasi Kwarteng as Chancellor of the Exchequer, James Cleverly as foreign secretary and Suella Braverman as interior minister.
They face a daunting in-tray of issues, most notably decades-high inflation and how to deal with energy bills set to rise by 80 per cent next month and then again in January.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England has tipped the country to fall into recession later this year.
She must also navigate the combustible issue of post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland, and in one of her first calls with a foreign leader late Tuesday, she agreed with US President Joe Biden “on the importance of protecting” peace in the province.
In its readout of the call, the White House also said Truss and Biden addressed “the challenges posed by China (and) preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon.”
But Truss was bullish as she entered Downing Street for the first time as premier, narrowly avoiding a heavy downpour.
“I am confident that together we can ride out the storm,” she said.
Her new ministers may be asked to sign off immediately on a plan to freeze energy bills for the coming winter, possibly longer, a measure that would cost tens of billions of pounds, according to reports.
Tax cuts and diverting some health funding to social care could also reportedly be on the agenda.
“I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment,” Truss promised, while also vowing “action this week” on gas and electricity bills and broader energy policy.
Punch/Titilayo Kupoliyi
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