Lettuce and the British Conservative Party

Last week’s tabloid Daily Star It posted a video on its website showing a photo of the prime minister next to an apple of lettuce. The ideal? Which of the two will survive longer?

In the end, spinach won out. 44 days after setting foot 10 Downing StreetLiz Truss has resigned.

I cannot fulfill the mandate given to me by the Conservative PartyThe Prime Minister explained in his brief statement to justify his departure.

A month and a half ago. On September 6, two days before her death, Queen Elizabeth II received her new prime minister. Lizz Truss’ tenure was ultimately the shortest in UK history. He resigned in turmoil after weeks of opposition both outside and inside his caucus. So a new transition period begins amidst the inflationary crisis. Our correspondent Raphaël Bouvier-Auclair reports

When we were in London six weeks ago to announce the results of the leadership contest, a Tory MP concern Liz Truss’s Proposals for Economics.

The leader of the British government, elected by around 170,000 members of the Conservative Party in September alone, beat his rival in the leadership race by promising tax cuts in particular.

Upon coming to power, his Finance Minister Kwasi Kwarteng announced that he would implement these promises, including tax cuts for wealthy Britons.

This was followed by a fall in the value of the sterling pound and the Bank of England’s concerns about the country’s financial stability.

First, the finance minister and his small budget have been scapegoated. Kwasi Kwarteng, a longtime friend of Liz Truss, was pressured to leave on Friday. His successor, the elder Jeremy Hunt, was quick to say mistakes had been made. He also did a 180-degree turn on several tax schemes of the government.

According to Catherine Fisky, head of the analytics team counterpointThis episode will leave a mark on the Conservative Party.

” Their trademark is that they know how to manage the economy while spending only labor […] Liz Truss is proof that they don’t know how to manage the economy anymore. I think that was the final nail in the coffin. »

Confusion and confusion

Liz Truss’s six-week tenure, 12 of which were marked by national mourning for the Queen’s death, resulted in several disturbing episodes.

This week, Conservative House Leader Benny Mordant will have to explain it Liz’s dress isn’t under a table To justify absence of Chairman during emergency debate.

On Wednesday, Labor’s shale gas issue turned into a vote of confidence in the government, a messy scene.

Many representatives do not want to vote for their own government. Whips responsible for discipline within the party threatened to resign before reconsidering their decision.

Height: Caught in a whirlwind, Liz Truss abstains from voting.

It’s shameful, horribleMP Charles Walker has been openly critical of Tory MPs for allowing Liz Truss to finish as leader of the government. The damage they did to the party was immense.

As short as that time was, it may have seemed like an eternity to conservative strategists. The fall in the party’s popularity ratings, which have already taken a toll due to scandals linked to Boris Johnson’s government.

A study Yukov Published at the end of September, it gave Labor a 33 percentage point lead over the Conservatives. The divide continued to widen with a new poll published earlier this week showing Liz Truss’s troops on just 20% of the vote against Keir Starmer’s Labor on 56%.

British Prime Minister at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

Photo: Getty Images/WPA Pool

A 5^e Chef in 12 years

The deeply divided party is back in the leadership race. The whirlwind process, which must be completed by Friday, October 28, will allow the party to elect its fifth leader in 12 years.

Rishi Sunak, the opponent beaten by Liz Truss in September, and Boris Johnson are also out. Downing Streetwill be on the initial line.

The Labor opposition believes it is time for the whole of the people to have their say in a general election, rather than the Conservatives deciding the future of the country.

The last election that Boris Johnson won decisively was in 2019 Downing Street It decides to launch an early campaign, or a referendum brings down the government, so the next election is scheduled for 2024 or even as early as 2025.

Meanwhile, the British people have other concerns than political sadness Westminster almost on a daily basis. The country has been hit hard by an energy crisis and a rapid increase in the cost of living.

This week, officials announced that inflation in September exceeded 10% on a year-on-year basis. Even a head of lettuce, made famous by Liz Truss, has risen in value from 52p to 65p in the past year, according to official data.