Liz Truss has insulted count leaders, She now has to cooperate with them

• Liz Truss will become Britain’s prime minister and the G7’s newest leader on Tuesday.
• Some of her campaign remarks could lead to awkward encounters.
• She caused controversy by suggesting France might be a “foe” to the UK. British-French relations have been strained in recent years.

During her campaign for the Conservative Party leadership, Liz Truss worked hard to win over 160,000 right-wing British voters.

And it was a task she embraced, seizing several opportunities to make digs at political figures on the other end of the political spectrum — often to the delight of her audiences.

Truss, on the other hand, will become Britain’s prime minister and the G7’s newest leader on Tuesday. And some of her campaign remarks could lead to awkward encounters.

Truss caused controversy when she said “the jury’s out” on whether French President Emmanuel Macron is a “friend or foe” to the United Kingdom. “If I become Prime Minister, I’ll judge him on deeds not words,” she added.

Britain and France have long been close allies on the international stage. Their relationship has been strained in recent years, particularly due to an increase in migrants crossing the English Channel, but it was a remarkable move for an incoming British leader — and the sitting foreign secretary — to suggest France might be a “foe” to the UK.

Boris Johnson, not known for his diplomacy, felt compelled to clean up, telling reporters that Macron was a “tres bon buddy” of the UK and that British-French relations were “very good.”

“Britain is a friend of France; a strong ally, no matter its leaders — and sometimes despite its leaders, or the small mistakes they can make while speaking in public,” Macron responded when asked about Truss’s comments.

Truss was hesitant to say whether former US President Donald Trump was a friend or foe, saying at her final hustings event on Sunday that she would not discuss “future potential presidential runners.” According to PA Media, she said of China’s President Xi Jinping at the same event, “I am not going to use the word foe, but I am concerned about China’s assertiveness.”

The new British Prime Minister has also targeted the leaders of the UK’s nations, with whom she will have to negotiate devolution and power-sharing agreements. During a hustings event last month, she called Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford a “low-energy version of Jeremy Corbyn,” the former Labour leader — and said Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond was the same.

Those remarks risk alienating voters in Scotland, where Sturgeon has advocated for a referendum on independence, and Wales, where the Conservatives are fighting to reclaim seats won in the 2019 general election.

Advertisement

“Congratulations to Liz Truss. Our political differences are deep, but I will seek to build a good working relationship with her as I did with last 3 PMs,” Sturgeon wrote on Twitter after Truss’s win. “She must now freeze energy bills for people & businesses, deliver more cash support, and increase funding for public services.”

Also Read

‘We will deliver’ says Liz Truss in victory speech after winning Tory contest

Liz Truss has been named the new leader of the Conservative Party....