Unlike in 2019, when Boris Johnson was elected Prime Minister, Brexit was the only priority for the ‘Tories’. Today the implementation of the divorce with the European Union continues to be just as relevant, but internal issues, such as the economic crisis or Scottish independence, dominate the list of priorities. These are some of the challenges that the new prime minister or the new prime minister of the country will have to face.
- Confronting the local economy in a global crisis
Projections about the increase in the cost of living exceeded the reality in the United Kingdom. Electricity and food prices are skyrocketing this year, so much so that a growing percentage of the British population is thought to be unable to afford three meals a day.
The war between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to the tailwinds of the Covid-19 pandemic, are part of the causes of the current inflation, triggered and with the possibility of reaching up to 10%, as the Bank of England has warned. , the country’s monetary authority.
Last May, local inflation reached a historical level in 40 years, driven by the increase in gasoline. In the same month, the consumer price index increased by 9.1%, compared to the same period in 2021, the highest since 1982.
At the same time, the nation faces the threat of more strikes by workers in different sectors, such as the train service strike – which paralyzed the country – because salary increases do not reflect the higher cost of living. In the case of the railway network, employees are demanding salary increases of 7% to compensate for inflation, in addition to zero dismissals during the modernization of this service.
Also, for example, the London Underground workers have stopped. But other sectors, such as teachers, have announced that they will cease activities if the Government does not take more drastic measures to help daily life.
A popular option among candidates who want to replace Boris Johnson is to reverse the payroll tax hike that Johnson raised in April. Even so, the next or next premier will have to wear kid gloves to make all these economic decisions that are required, also bearing in mind the global financial situation.
- Maintain support for Ukraine in the war
The United Kingdom has played a leading role at the international level, trying to unite Europe and NATO in the harsh response against Vladimir Putin, in addition to providing humanitarian support, weapons and training to the Ukrainian military forces.
Johnson has been the only international leader to visit kyiv twice during the Russian invasion and holds weekly talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his resignation speech, the former Downing Street tenant announced that support for Ukraine is unrestricted and will continue to be state policy in his absence.
- Resolving the thorny ‘Northern Ireland Protocol’
London launched a new political and legal battle against Brussels, the resolution of which is still awaited.
After Brexit, the British region of Northern Ireland remains within the customs system and in the Single Market of the European Union to avoid reinstating a physical border that puts the 1998 peace agreement at risk.
So, that physical border between the United Kingdom and the European Union was established in the sea of the island of Ireland. What happen? To send goods or food to Northern Ireland, new entry procedures and paperwork are required, as if an export was made within the same country.
Unionists and the government say the protocol is causing food shortages, while Ireland’s leftist Sinn Fein party denies it has brought chaos to the area.
Thus, after sterile negotiations between London and Brussels trying to find a solution, the British Government presented legislation in its Parliament to change the Protocol.
Although Boris Johnson justified this political move by saying that it was a guarantee in case the European Union did not make changes, the truth is that it was the first step for a new dispute on both sides of the English Channel.
Europe, enraged that Johnson negotiated and signed the agreement that created the Protocol, initiated legal action which, if the new prime minister does not act urgently, could end in a trade war.
- Scotland, in search of its independence
The Scottish regional government, with a majority in the local Parliament, presented its roadmap to seek a second legal referendum on independence.
The proposed date is October 19, 2023. For this new consultation to become a reality, it needs the approval of London, which has already closed that door with a single push.
However, Scottish nationalists are persistent and, anticipating Johnson’s refusal, asked the country’s Supreme Court whether the referendum could take place without such permission.
The editor of the prestigious Scottish newspaper ‘The Scotsman’, Neil McIntosh, told France 24 that London may well win this legal dispute.
“London will win: the Constitution is clearly a Westminster government issue. Besides, Nicola Sturgeon knows this. The promise of a referendum in 2023 is about political theater and party management, and nothing about hoping to win or not.” “.
Curiously, and like never before, the cohesion of the United Kingdom had not been so threatened. It is part of Boris Johnson’s legacy.
Also, the new or the new premier must work in common with Scotland to dissuade him from staying within the union. And it is that the nationalists of Sinn Fein, who for the first time in a hundred years of history lead the regional government, will also seek independence from the United Kingdom at some point.
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