No honeymoon period for Truss as she deals with a packed in-tray

LIZ Truss formally became Britain’s new Prime Minister on Tuesday (Sep 6), and she will hold the first meeting of her new Cabinet on Wednesday against the most challenging economic and political backdrop since the 1970s.

Energy prices rising for consumers and businesses; the continuing war in Ukraine; a health service struggling to clear the Covid-19 backlog; inflation at over 10 per cent, and an economy falling into a recession; tough trading relationships with the European Union, China and beyond after Brexit – any of these challenges alone would be difficult to handle, but together it seems an almost impossible task for any world leader. Truss will have to make choices about what to prioritise, with her first term in office lasting for about 2 years as the UK must hold its next general election by January 2025 at the latest.

The Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, is now significantly ahead in the polls and looking like a credible force once again. And for the first time in a decade, Labour leads the Conservatives when it comes to how they are viewed as being able to properly manage the economy.