October 2022 Full PDF final

INTERNATIONAL
INTERNATIONAL
LIZ OUT, SUNAK IN
UK’s UNPRECEDENTED 44 DAYS OF UNCERTAINTY
-MIR ARMAN FARUK
Liz Truss announced her resignation as the British prime minister on October 20.
Her six-week stay in office, which began with a dramatic experiment in trickledown
economics and finished with the majority of those ideas being reversed,
was swiftly brought to an end with the economy still in disarray.
Truss will be remembered as the British leader with the shortest tenure after
serving for only 45 days. She was the third Conservative prime minister to be dismissed
in as many years. Her resignation adds to the chaos that has been going
on in Britain since it left the European Union. It also leaves the country’s leadership
in dilemma at a time when the cost of living is going up amid a recession in
the offing.
An unfavorable situation
Truss decided that she could no longer be prime minister because her plan to cut
taxes was in shambles. Her Conservative Party lawmakers were rebelling, and her
government was in the hands of individuals who did not support her or her policies.
She leaves office having served as prime minister for the shortest time
in British history.
Standing outside the 10 Downing Street, the same place where Boris Johnson
was forced to resign three and a half months earlier, Truss said that she
had become leader during a time of economic and international instability,
and that Conservative Party members had chosen her because of her plan for
a high-growth, low-tax economy that would take advantage of the "freedoms"
of Brexit. “I recognize though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate
on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His
Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative
Party.” she stated. Truss's speech was the short climax of a term that has been
marked by economic chaos, party rebellion, a revitalized opposition, and a growing
legitimacy crisis.
Overall drama that led to Truss resignation
The first act of this drama was when Truss's longtime friend and shortlived
chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced the mini budget. The budget
promised tax cuts that would be paid for by borrowing money from the
government. This scared the markets so much that the government had
to get rid of the most controversial part of the budget quickly (tax cuts for
the rich). This U-turn was insufficient, and Truss fired Kwarteng and appointed
Jeremy Hunt in his stead. Hunt is a seasoned politician who has
been called " safe pair of hands," thus Truss felt that he would be a better
choice.
But by October 19, it seemed like the Truss administration was living hour by hour instead
of day by day, and it was evident that keeping her in office any longer might be
worse for politics than getting rid of her. The two primary dramas that day served to
highlight this. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, was forced to resign for emailing
a formal document from her personal email after allegedly arguing with Truss
about immigration. The resignation letter from Braverman was harsh, saying “Pretending
we haven’t made mistakes, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have
made them, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious politics. I
have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.”
That evening, there was a big fight over a vote on fracking. Tory MPs were told at
first that this was a vote of confidence (where loyalty is expected). They were then
encouraged to believe it wasn't a vote of confidence, though. As a result of the
ensuing chaos, MPs seeing it claim that they had been "manhandled" and "bullied."
The chief whip, who is in charge of maintaining order, reportedly yelled "I'm
no longer the chief whip" in the parliamentary hallways.
By midday the next day, Truss had resigned. A general election was called for immediately
by the opposition Labour Party. However, the Conservatives are not
obligated to call one until January 2025 under British law. Conservative legislators
could force a vote if enough of them sided with the opposition, but because
the party's popularity is plunging in polls, it is in their best interests to delay any
vote. The British political system has its own flexible set of rules that they can
use to change party leaders, and by extension, the prime minister.
Just one day after saying in Parliament, "I'm a fighter, not a quitter," Ms. Truss
quit after a hastily planned meeting with party seniors, including Graham Brady,
the chief of a group of Conservative lawmakers that has a big say in choosing the
party leader. Ms. Truss declared that she would stay in position until the party
decided on a replacement at the end of the next week. That sets off a frantic, uncertain
drive to remove her from a party that is profoundly divided and demoralized.
Truss's brief premiership, however, shows that it is risky to try to govern without public
support or a specific mandate.
New leadership contest: Chaos to Party Unity
With Liz Truss’ dramatic departure the conservative party faced another leadership contest
within 44 days. The leadership contest was announced to be happening in a more
streamlined way this time. The contestants had to gather the support of at least 100 MPs to
be qualified as a nominee. If there were more than two nominees, the least supported nominee
was to be automatically eliminated. The top two nominees were scheduled to contest in
an online vote by a conservative party member.
Rishi Sunak, who lost the leadership contest to Liz Truss last month, came out as the frontrunner.
Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the house, threw her hat in the ring officially. But there
was a strong sense of chaos when some ministers and MPs started giving their support publicly
to scandalous ex-premier Boris Johnson. Johnson cut short his family holiday from the
Dominican Republic and flew back in economy class. Although he had apparently the necessary
support of the required 100 MPs, he received a strong negative reaction from the opposition
parties, many quarters of the public, and even from within his own party.
As Penny Mordaunt’s camp failed to get the necessary support of the 100 MPs, it went down
to Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson. The two top runners had a closed-door meeting, after which
Boris Johnson publicly thanked his supporters and bowed out of the contest.
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