Truss Inaugurated as UK Prime Minister: "The Stronger the Storm, the Stronger the British"

The First Black Finance and Foreign Ministers in History... For the First Time, No White Men in the Cabinet's Big Four

Newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss, the third female prime minister in British history, is delivering her inaugural speech on the 6th (local time) in front of 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's residence in London.
[Photo by Xinhua News Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] "The stronger the storm, the stronger the British become. I am confident that together we can weather the storm."

Elizabeth Truss, the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said this on the 6th (local time) in her inauguration speech, urging unity to overcome the current crisis facing the UK.

Truss, the third female Prime Minister in British history, officially took office after meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on the same day. After delivering her inauguration speech in front of 10 Downing Street in London, she also announced key cabinet appointments. For the first time, a cabinet was formed with no white men in the four major positions, including Kwasi Kwarteng being appointed as the first Black Chancellor of the Exchequer.

According to BBC, CNN, and others, in her inauguration speech, Prime Minister Truss emphasized her confidence that together they can overcome the economic crisis facing the UK. She pledged to address the soaring cost of living and said she would unveil an energy policy bill within the week.

She stated, "We will handle the energy crisis caused by Putin's war," adding, "Within this week, we will secure future energy supplies and take measures to resolve energy issues." Truss stressed that by solving energy and National Health Service (NHS) problems, she would lay the foundation for the UK's long-term success. She also vowed to protect democracy and freedom from the threat posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

At the end of her speech, Truss said, "We must not be afraid because of the current crisis facing the UK," and "The stronger the storm, the stronger the British become." She continued, "The UK was built by people who got things done," emphasizing, "There are many capable, energetic, and decisive people in the UK, and I am confident that together we can weather the storm."

After the speech, key appointments in the Truss cabinet were announced.

Kwasi Kwarteng, who served as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in Johnson's cabinet, moved to the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. He is the first Black Chancellor in history. Kwarteng's parents migrated from Ghana to the UK in the 1960s. He attended the prestigious private school Eton and Cambridge University before working in finance.

In an op-ed published on the 4th, he argued that the Truss government would not be ashamed of pro-growth policies and that the UK has the second-lowest debt-to-GDP ratio among the G7 countries after Germany, so there is no reason for austerity.

The first Black minister was also nominated for the vacant position of Foreign Secretary following Truss's appointment as Prime Minister. James Cleverly, whose mother is from Sierra Leone and father is white, was nominated as Foreign Secretary. Cleverly has served as Minister for the Middle East and North Africa and Minister for Europe and North America.

Suella Braverman, who ran in the Conservative Party leadership race, was appointed Home Secretary. Braverman supported Truss after being eliminated from the leadership contest. Both of Braverman's parents are of Indian descent and are known to have migrated to the UK from Kenya and Mauritius in the 1960s, respectively.

Penny Mordaunt, who competed until the final round in the Conservative leadership race and served as Minister of State for International Trade, was appointed as Leader of the House of Commons. Mordaunt consistently held second place behind former Chancellor Rishi Sunak but was overtaken by Truss in the final fifth round, preventing her from advancing to the runoff vote.

Truss's longtime political ally, Therese Coffey, was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence who received praise for his response to the Ukraine crisis, retained his position.

Dominic Raab, Secretary of State for Justice, and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, who sided with former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, were all excluded from the Truss cabinet. Nadine Dorries, a fervent supporter of former Prime Minister Johnson and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, declined the offer to join the cabinet.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.