FROM ZERO TO HERO: WINNER TRUSS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TAKES REVENGE ON RIVALS
By SHAMLAL PURI
Associate Publisher & Senior Editor – UK
Worth Noting:
- Truss’s victory led to an immediate spate of resignations. The first to go was Conservative Party’s co-chairman Ben Elliot, an ally of Johnson. Following close at heels was the high-flyer Home Secretary Priti Patel, a fierce supporter of Boris Johson and Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary. Fiercely loyal to Truss, Dorries stepped down as she is in line for a peerage.
- Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg had at the outset propped up Liz Truss as a Prime Minister contender to fight Rishi Sunak. The quiet slogan in their camp was anyone but Rishi for leadership.
- Minutes after Truss entered 10 Downing Street as the Prime Minister, there were political recriminations. Her bitterness against rivals and Rishi Sunak loyalists iri the open in what is dubbes as the Tuesday massacre.
Monday was D-Day in Whitehall when the mother of two, Mary Elizabeth (Liz) Truss, 47, grabbed the keys to 10 Downing Street after winning by a narrow margin of 21,000 votes in the Prime Minister ballot marking the start of a new, probably wobbly, era in British politics.
In a nail-biting finish on Monday, Truss romped home with 81,326 votes – 57.4% defeating millionaire indian diasporan Rishi Sunak, who got 60,399 or 42.6% votes.
Truss’s opponent, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, put up a spirited fight to the end but failed to impress grassroots Conservative voters, denying him that Barack Obama moment of being the first non-white British Prime Minister.
A crest-fallen Sunak conceded defeat and, in a true sporting spirit, thanked those who had voted for him. He congratulated his rival, saying Conservatives are always united and urged everyone to cooperate with the new Prime Minister.
Truss, also the leader of the ruling Conservative Party, takes over from the ousted Prime Minister Boris Johnson after his humiliating resignation earlier this year; the latter has finally quit Downing Street in a low-key departure.
Oxford-educated, Maths professor and nurse Truss immediately took to the road for her traditional meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Palace in Scotland on Tuesday. The Monarch invited the new Prime Minister to form the Government.
Truss’s meeting with Queen Elizabeth II was among the Monarch’s last recorded engagements before she died on Thursday in the afternoon, aged 96.
Truss is the third woman Prime Minister in the history of the United Kingdom after the late Baronness Margaret Thatcher, who held power for 20 years between 1979 and 1990 and Mrs Theresa May, was Premier for three years.
A seasoned legislator who has climbed through political ranks in past governments, Truss was primarily groomed into +high-profile politics by her mentor, the ousted Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He entrusted her with the portfolio of Foreign Secretary mainly to counter the unchecked growth of Rishi Sunak in UK politics. So Truss has a lot to be thankful to Boris.
Truss has earned the reputation of a political survivor. It says much about how she suddenly rose from a late entry into the leadership contest. Her arch rival Rishi Sunak was way ahead of her in the opinion polls, but she finally pipped him to the winning post. Her arduous journey to the top threw nine other contestants by the wayside.
Her win is a unique story of a candidate’s winning streak for someone who started from the bottom rung of the contestants’ ladder with a handful of supporters but shot up to the top whizzing past tough competition from the likes of Penny Mordaunt, Nadhim Zahawi, Tom Tugendhat, and other candidates. She finally managed to inflict political bruises on her opposite finalist Rishi Sunak.
Truss wasted no time in returning to Downing Street after meeting the Queen, acknowledging cheers from her supporters, including the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi, who Boris appointed after Sunak’s bombshell resignation.
In her first speech to the nation outside the door of 10 Downing Street, Truss said she would deliver her promise of reducing the people’s burden of living costs and energy crisis. “We will overcome,” adding, “We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we may face….As strong as the storm may be, I know the British people are stronger.”
Truss’s victory led to an immediate spate of resignations. The first to go was Conservative Party’s co-chairman Ben Elliot, an ally of Johnson. Following close at heels was the high-flyer Home Secretary Priti Patel, a fierce supporter of Boris Johson and Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary. Fiercely loyal to Truss, Dorries stepped down as she is in line for a peerage.
Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg had at the outset propped up Liz Truss as a Prime Minister contender to fight Rishi Sunak. The quiet slogan in their camp was anyone but Rishi for leadership.
Minutes after Truss entered 10 Downing Street as the Prime Minister, there were political recriminations. Her bitterness against rivals and Rishi Sunak loyalists iri the open in what is dubbes as the Tuesday massacre.
She immediately wielded the axe sacking several high-profile senior ministers who backed her rival Rishi Sunak, proving there was fierce bitterness between the two. Among those who were sacked were Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Rabb, Environment Secretary George Eustice, Veteran Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer, and Health Secretary Steve Barclay, among others.
She carried out a Cabinet reshuffle amidst accusations of cronyism, rewarding those who had supported her during the leadership campaign.
Observers said her reshuffle was done without much thought and capabilities of the newly appointed senior ministers who may fail to deliver her Government’s policies fully.
Truss’s actions received a fiery rebuke from the wife of one sacked Minister,
Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, the wife of sacked muster Johnny Mercer, took to Twitter to denounce Truss’s sacking of her husband, accusing the Prime Minister of going back on her word and calling her “an imbecile”.
Mrs Mercer wrote in her tweet about her husband Johnny’s meeting with Truss after his sacking “He asked her ‘Why would you do this, who is going to be better at this role than me, which of your mates gets the job, you promised meritocracy?
“PM: I can’t answer that, Johnny.”
Mrs Mercer continued, “This system stinks & treats people appallingly,” adding the final insult…. “Best person I know sacked by an imbecile.”
The reshuffle includes several senior cabinet ministers from the diaspora. Suella Braverman, who has roots in Kenya and Mauritius and is the immediate past Attorney General, is the new Home Secretary. She takes the portfolio from controversial Priti Patel following her resignation hours before Truss entered Downing Street.
Sierra Leonean descent UK-born James Cleverly, 53, a former British Army reservist-turned politician, was appointed the Foreign Secretary, taking over from Liz Truss. The latter held the post in the Boris Johnson Government. His family has roots in Sierra Leone., West Africa.
London-born Ghanaian diasporan and intellectual whizzkid Kwesi Kwarteng is the new Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Prime Minister hopeful Nigerian diasporan Kemi Badenoch, who lost in the ballot, threw her lot behind Liz Truss and was appointed the International Trade Secretary.
Sri Lankan diasporan Ranil Jayawardena is the new Environment and Rural Affairs Secretary.
The only Indian diaspora man with a top-level portfolio is Alok Sharma, who was reappointed President of COP26, the global agency to fight Climate Change and environmental damage. He largely kept a low profile during the leadership hustings.
Within hours of the results, Boris congratulated Truss on her victory. He pledged his full support to her as the Prime Minister. Boris is now an ordinary MP but still wields influence in the party and a good retirement as a former
PM. .
The diaspora’s excitement about Rishi Sunak’s historic victory fizzled out. Their bigoted dream of a Hindu avenging 200 years of British Colonialism in India lay in tatters
Native Britons could not bear the thought of a non-white British Prime Minister. Sunak had put serious efforts into propping up his campaign using his wealth, 3,000 volunteers and all possible media exposure opportunities. He was also supported by many top-notch Conservative Party leaders and the extensive Indian diaspora.
There was an immediate backlash oceans away in India over Sunak’s defeat. In their inimitable style, angry Indians took to social media to lambast Sunak over his failure to be the rime Minister. For many Indians, this was more like a case of sour grapes. Had he won by any miracle, the euphoria of his victory could have turned into big celebrations or even, who knows, a public holiday in India!
As the hustings continued over the weeks, there is doubt that Sunak gave Truss a very tough time and sleepless nights.
Its globally recognised politics are known for back-stabbing, shenanigans, denials, backroom deals, and overnight switchovers of loyalty either for the lure of cash or the promise of mouth-watering ministerial portfolios.
Some of these tactics, if not all, may have also been applied in ousting Boris Johnson and the six weeks of campaigning for his successor.
Critics are beginning to stand up and claim that Truss’s victory could be an elaborate political stitch-up by the Party faithful.
Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s sympathisers had made it amply clear that anyone but Rishi Sunak should be the next leader. Boris sympathisers blame Sunak for giving a knockout blow to his regime, a charge Sunak denies.
There are whispers from the opposition that, as a backseat driver Boris Johnson, in principle, supported Liz Truss though publicly he denied extending his support to any candidate.
Many Britons believe Boris has seen his rise and fall, which is history. Few would have thought of a comeback. Prime Ministers have gone – Conservatives John Major, Mrs Theresa May, David Cameron, Labour Premiers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown.
But there is already a movement among the Conservatives building up among his loyalists to bring Boris Johnson back to 10 Downing Street. Over 20,000 have stepped in to fight the corner for Boris and reinstate him.
Critics are asking whether Liz Truss could be holding the fort for Boris until his projected return. This could be a shot in the dark, but it is not improbable knowing politics.
For now, Truss is firmly in the saddle. She has got working on resolving pressing issues such as runaway energy prices and the cost of living crisis – two problems worrying the British public.
She is now seen making promises to turn the tide of the two problems, but a lot is yet to be seen on how she fares with her promises.
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Truss repeated her reluctance to impose a Windfall tax on the mega profits of the energy companies.
“I believe it’s wrong to put companies off investing in the UK,”