The EU fears a worsening of relations with the United Kingdom after the victory of Truss

Actually, in the EU no one is under any illusions about the new British prime minister. Especially since, in her previous position as head of diplomacy in the Boris Johnson government, she contributed in an outstanding way to the fact that relations between Brussels and London sank to historic lows.

Although in the 2016 referendum he supported that UK will stay in the EUTruss has become over time a fervent brexiter. Following her appointment by Johnson as foreign minister in September 2021, the dialogue with Brussels experienced a brief period of thaw by a mood that seemed more constructive than that of his predecessor, Dominique Raab.

[Liz Truss sucede a Boris Johnson como primera ministra de Reino Unido tras ganar las primarias]

However, this change in tone was quickly revealed to be a mirage. The new prime minister is the promoter of the bill that unilaterally modifies the Northern Ireland protocol, which has caused an unprecedented clash with Brussels for breaching the Brexit agreement. During the campaign, his team announced that he plans to immediately freeze customs controls in the Irish Sea invoking article 16 of the protocol.

In the primary race, Truss has relied on the most radical and Europhobic wing of the Conservative Party and has been presented as the candidate for the continuity of the policies of Johnson, the architect of Brexit, against a more moderate Rishi Sunak. “Is Macron an ally or an enemy?”they asked him in the campaign. “It’s not clear yet”replied the new British prime minister.

Hence the mistrust exuded by the congratulations he has received from the EU. Along with the usual congratulations, the majority of community leaders have reminded him that London must respect the commitments madein particular the divorce settlement and the Northern Ireland protocol.

“The EU and the UK are partners. We face many challenges together, from climate change to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I look forward to a constructive relationship, in full respect of our agreements“, wrote the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on his Twitter account.

“I wish him the best, I wish him success. Hopefully he will contribute to improving relations with the full compliance with the Brexit agreement“, assured the head of community diplomacy, Josep Borrell. Macron himself has also defended greater cooperation with the United Kingdom on energy matters and has described his controversy with Truss as “foam”.

“The election of Liz Truss as Prime Minister increases the chances that the UK will distance itself further from the EU or take an uncompromising stance towards it, which in turn increases the chances that the UK will one day fall apart, losing Scotland, Northern Ireland, or both. This and a weaker economy will be the last legacy of Brexit.” writes American diplomat Richard Haaswho was an adviser to Colin Powell.

[Por qué la caída de Johnson no arreglará las relaciones entre Reino Unido y la UE tras el Brexit]

In any case, the President of the European Council, Charles Michaelhas launched a peace offer to the new British prime minister. In an interview to Guardian during the weekendMichel has confirmed that he plans invite Truss to a summit in Prague on October 6 to discuss the creation of a European Political Community, a new body dedicated to discussing security on the continent. In contrast, Johnson was not invited to the extraordinary European Council after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which he did attend. Joe Biden.

What will the EU do if Truss goes ahead with his plans to dismantle the Northern Ireland protocol? As a first line of defence, Brussels plans to go ahead with the arsenal of dossiers it has already launched against London.

The next step would be the imposition of tariffs on certain British products or even the total suspension of the free trade agreement between the EU and the UK. An open trade war within the Western bloc in full confrontation with Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

turbulence at home

As well as trying to bring Brexit to fruition, Truss faces runaway inflation (already close to record highs), an unprecedented cost of living crisis and a recession in the making that the Bank of England expects to break out in the last quarter of 2022 and last until 2024.

To address this situation, the new occupant of Downing Street has promised a massive and indiscriminate tax cut. Between the tax cuts They are to reverse the increase in Social Security, stop the rise in corporate tax on companies and suspend VAT on green energy in homes.

Thus, above redistributing wealth, her priority is, as she herself explained in an interview, “grow the economy”which in itself “benefits everyone” and helps “reduce economic inequalities“.

[Johnson quiere hacerse rico tras dejar Downing Street con sus memorias y actos: 11 M en sólo un año]

A neoliberal approach that breaks with the interventionist drift of his predecessor, Boris Johnson, and that has generated concern in some sectors of the Conservative Party, according to Guardian. Probably, among those faithful to the one who was his main rival in the primaries: Rishi Sunakformer Minister of Economy and supporter of raising taxes.

Truss plans to freeze gas and electricity prices to tackle energy crisis

Another of the great challenges that must address urgently is to curb the rise in energy prices that is suffocating British households.

In this sense, before being named premiere, Truss announced that he would launch an emergency plan in his first week in government. And although for the moment he has not given any details, he has promised that he will avoid “an energetic armageddon“.

As the newspaper has advanced The Timeswill do so by agreeing with industry leaders on a freezing of gas and electricity prices. “The plan is to introduce some kind of artificial price cap for consumers combined with a mechanism to reimburse providers,” says a source consulted by the British newspaper.