U.K. PM Liz Truss faces busy week as politics returns to stage after queen’s funeral
Global News
A period of national mourning that was in place since Queen Elizabeth's death will give way to a frantic week of policymaking as Truss looks to address a series of crises.
British politics returns to centre stage on Tuesday after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, with Prime Minister Liz Truss signalling her priorities by flying to her first major summit and rushing out measures to try to avert an economic slump.
Since the queen’s death on Sept. 8, politics — or at least the discussion of its ins and outs — has been on pause for a period of national mourning, out of respect for a monarch who reigned for 70 years.
The timing of the political pause — which began just two days after Truss was sworn in as prime minister — was frustrating for some in government, coming after a two-month leadership campaign and when Britain risks falling into a lengthy recession and faces an energy crisis that threatens the finances of millions.
But it has, according to sources, allowed some of Truss’s ministers time to get established in their new departments and fine tune their policies. It just makes for a busy week ahead.
New policies will be crammed in during the few days at the end of the week in parliament, which government hopes will sit for an additional day on Friday before breaking up for the annual season of party conferences.
They will include a support package to help businesses cope with rising energy prices, a statement on possibly cutting waiting times for treatment at Britain’s state-run National Health Service and much promised tax cuts to try to spur growth.
She will also meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday after meeting several leaders who had travelled to take part in the queen’s funeral, which saw a congregation of 2,000 pay their final respects.
“I think we will see a focused, punchy start, showing momentum and direction of travel free of distractions and side dramas,” said a veteran member of the governing Conservative Party. “The policies were there already, but they were bedded into the departments (during the mourning period).”
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