Source: China News Network
Two months after Boris Johnson announced his resignation, on September 5, local time, the United Kingdom will usher in a new prime minister and the head of the ruling party. One of the current Foreign Secretary, Terrass, and the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sunak, is about to take charge of 10 Downing Street.
Since Johnson was forced to "step down" in the midst of a wave of massive cabinet resignations, the Conservative-run British government has been completely thrown into chaos and disorder this summer.
In the past August, the headlines of the European media have been dominated almost daily by the energy crisis: soaring natural gas prices, household electricity bills have reached new highs, accompanied by high inflation and indefinite strikes. After the worst of August, the UK is likely to have an even worse autumn or winter.
And whoever wins, I am afraid that there will be no time to celebrate - winter is coming, in the face of a series of difficult problems such as high inflation, energy crisis, diplomatic turmoil, etc., the new prime minister will surely usher in a "hellish" difficult script, and it is difficult to achieve a smooth transition during the so-called "honeymoon period".
The next prime minister, she or him?
Johnson joked in an August speech that Britain's next prime minister "is certainly either a man or a woman."
Foreign Secretary Tras, known as the "New Iron Lady," was born into a left-wing family that supported political positions and studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. The Times described her as a "well-educated northern girl" favored by conservative grassroots.
Terrass entered the UK Parliament in 2010, initially as a member of the South West Norfolk, and has since held various positions in the government led by Cameron, Theresa May and Johnson. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, she was a supporter of "Remain", but in 2017 she turned to support "Brexit" and promoted trade agreements between the United Kingdom and Japan, Australia and other countries, which won widespread praise within the Conservative Party.
Tras was britain's first female Lord Chancellor and Minister of Justice. After Johnson's cabinet change in September 2021, she became the second female foreign secretary in British history. Many media have reported that she imitated Thatcher's dress. For a long time, Terrass had been "inspired by Margaret Thatcher" and was known for his liberal views on the economy and trade, according to Sky News.
Sunak, also a graduate of Oxford University, comes from an Indian immigrant family. According to Al Jazeera, much of the attention has been focused on the former banker's class and wealth background. Throughout his candidacy, Sunak had to downplay his "privilege."
In addition, Sunak has always emphasized his Hindu identity, which has given him a lot of points in the cosmopolitan South Asian Hindu middle class. If Sunak is elected this time, he will become the first Prime Minister of Indian descent in British history.
Sunak served as chancellor of the exchequer in johnson's administration, and "elite" and "composure" were what supporters said about him. However, he resigned from the government in July due to a loss of confidence in Johnson, which was said to trigger a "wave of resignations" from government officials related to Johnson's ouster.
The day after learning of Johnson's announcement of his resignation, Sunak quickly announced his decision to run, with many Johnson's supporters slamming him for "political infidelity." In response, Sunak said that this was because he and Johnson had a "fundamental disagreement" over their views and positions on economic affairs.
Sunak had previously held the lead in the Conservative MPs vote, while a poll released in mid-August showed Thatras' Conservative party support was temporarily ahead.
"Shortest political honeymoon period"
Johnson was forced to step down after being plagued by scandals such as "party gates" and questioning his leadership, leaving many problems for his successor.
According to the Financial Times, within minutes of taking ownership of 10 Downing Street, the new prime minister will respond to the worst economic crisis since the global financial crisis. With energy prices rising, inflation reaching double digits, mortgage rates rising, and fears of a prolonged recession, the public is expecting Downing Street to come up with a rescue plan.
In response, Terrass promised immediate tax cuts and refocused on economic growth, while slamming his rivals for pushing taxes to record highs, leading to a slowdown in economic growth.
Sunak stressed the need to maintain current taxes in the short term, while promising more targeted support for those most in need during the cost-of-living crisis.
In terms of people's livelihood, the new prime minister also has to face the anger of the trade unions. Since June, workers in Britain's rail and subway systems have gone on strike several times to protest low wages, poor working conditions and layoffs. In September, criminal lawyers and postal workers also plan to join the strike.
Tras promised to curb "aggressive unions," while Sunak promised to "stop the unions' blackmail of workers."
In terms of environmental protection, rising energy prices have made environmentally-related issues more intractable: whether to open new coal mines, how to take into account carbon reduction commitments, to set air quality standards... The Guardian pointed out that the new prime minister will face a series of key decisions on green policy.
In terms of diplomacy, at present, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is in a "protracted war", and European assistance and support for Ukraine are gradually weak. Johnson was once a staunch supporter of Ukraine, but after the US midterm elections, if there is a change in the POSITION of the United States, or a change in the situation in Russia and Ukraine, it will quickly pose a challenge to British diplomacy.
Experts from the Royal Joint Services Institute, Britain's main defence think tank, point out that while the situation in Ukraine looks likely to be deadlocked, the new owner of 10 Downing Street should not expect the situation to continue like this.
In addition, the new prime minister will face challenges in britain's relationship with the EU. The Financial Times pointed out that during Johnson's tenure, Britain's relationship with the EU fell to the bottom. Both Tras and Sunak have pledged to push for legislation to rewrite the Northern Ireland Protocol. This would strain Britain's relationship with the EU, and there could even be a trade war.
The Financial Times bluntly stated that "given the current situation in the UK, the new prime minister may face one of the shortest political honeymoon periods in modern history." ”