It was precisely at 12.28 p.m. that Nadhim Zahawi, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in charge of constitutional questions in the government, a folder embossed with the arms of the crown under his arm, slipped to the front row of the House of Commons and whispered to the ear of Liz Truss, before retiring “with the compunction of a clergyman”. Quentin Letts, parliamentary columnist present this Thursday, September 8, describes the scene: “Liz Truss frowns, then sits down again and becomes completely motionless”. The brand new British Prime Minister has just learned that the queen is dying, in her castle of Balmoral in Scotland, where, two days earlier, Boris Johnson’s successor was officially appointed head of government by Elizabeth II. For the monarch, Liz Truss is her fifteenth prime minister. For Liz Truss and the vast majority of Britons, there has never been another ruler in their lifetime. At 4.30 p.m., the Palace informed Downing Street that the Queen had just died. Thus begins for Liz Truss and her compatriots a long period of mourning, emotion and questioning about the future of the country. As writer Jonathan Freedland puts it, Britain has just lost “its fixed point in a world of constant flux”.
Chosen on September 5 by 140,000 members of the Conservative Party, ie only 0.3% of the British electorate, Liz Truss will suddenly have to embody an entire country, and not only represent the majority party in the House of Commons. During the next few weeks marked by contemplation and monarchical pomp, and as King Charles III takes his bearings as sovereign, Liz Truss will face an additional and daunting challenge: to accompany and comfort a grieving nation, and succeed in putting words to this deep sadness that grips him.
But is this former ardent anti-monarchist capable of it? “She likes political combat and argument. I’m not sure, however, that she is very good at harmony and unity. It’s a test for her,” analyzes Andrew Marr, former star journalist for the BBC and bestselling author Elizabethans, How Modern Britain Was Forged. However, Liz Truss could seize this historic opportunity to fill part of the void left by the sovereign. “The Queen’s death will define the tenure of Liz Truss, according to Chris Smyth, an expert on Whitehall, the seat of Parliament and government. The actions of the Prime Minister during this very special time will delineate the contours of her image and her public action, especially for all those who do not know her – and there are many of them.” This “special time” was definitely not on Liz Truss’ agenda as she prepared for a high-risk fall.
“We are at a tipping point”
The one that the polls assured of a clear victory from the beginning of August, had the time to carefully prepare the first weeks of her government so as to leave nothing to chance. “We don’t have a hundred days to convince, but rather ten days” repeated his close advisers a few days before his election as head of the Tory party. It was about hitting hard, and taking all positions on different fronts, including the energy crisis, the political difficulties in Belfast over the Northern Irish protocol, the near bankruptcy of the health system and the war in Ukraine. . “The Queen’s death will have a huge effect on national life and overshadow any political consideration. The consequences are also practical: Truss’s choreographed plans for his first weeks in office all fall apart,” continues Chris Smyth. In other words, Truss can no longer stick to his script written in advance. “Now everything is in perpetual motion, we are at a tipping point.”
Since arriving in Downing Street, Truss will have had just one hour to announce a colossal £150bn effort to help households and businesses overwhelmed by skyrocketing gas and electricity prices, a debt-financed aid plan. A total reversal compared to his declarations of the summer. On the other hand, his official trip to kyiv and then to Washington, his rescue plan for the NHS (National Health Service), and the annual conference of the Conservative Party will not take place as planned. Strikes announced for the next few days have been called off and even the Bank of England, which was due to announce an interest rate hike as the pound sterling experiences a steeper fall against the dollar, has postponed its announcement. sine die, “out of respect”.
It is difficult to say how the United Kingdom and its Prime Minister will emerge from this national mourning which should last nearly three weeks. For Chris Smyth, “when life resumes its normal course, Truss will certainly no longer benefit from the momentum that brought her to power, but she will nevertheless have gone through ordeals that will have hardened her”.