It was just 44 days for Liz Truss to lead the United Kingdom, but the short tenure – which will extend until the choice of a successor next week – has been so eventful that it could correspond to years of government.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, an economic plan rejected by the market and the resignation of two key ministers were some of the events faced by Boris Johnson’s successor before announcing his resignation on Thursday (20).
Remember the main moments.
SEPTEMBER 5
Truss is elected leader of the Conservative Party, with 81,000 votes from members of the party. She beat former finance minister Rishi Sunak, becoming the third woman to lead the UK and the fourth name from the legend to head the government in six years.
SEPTEMBER 6
Truss takes office after being formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland. Her cabinet composition drew attention, as it lacks white men in the four main posts — deputy prime minister and ministers of foreign affairs, finance and interior. The first meeting took place the next day.
SEPTEMBER 8
Two days after taking office, the prime minister takes action against the energy crisis, announcing a two-year energy price freeze for families. In addition, companies, schools and hospitals should receive aid.
The announcement was overshadowed, however, by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, confirmed moments later. An extensive agenda to honor the sovereign’s memory followed, with events spanning two weeks and virtually stopping the UK. Truss accompanied King Charles III on many of these occasions.
SEPTEMBER 19
The prime minister is one of the officials to speak at the queen’s funeral and burial ceremony. The funeral events, according to the British press, were the most expensive ever funded by the state – at a time of rising cost of living and 10% inflation, the highest in the UK in four decades.
SEPTEMBER 23TH
After the official mourning period, the then Finance Minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, announces historic tax cuts and increases in loans. The mini-budget would knock down markets and British government bonds, and the pound would fall to a 37-year low against the dollar. In a few days the Bank of England would make an emergency intervention to save the pension funds.
SEPTEMBER 29
Truss defends his tax cuts, saying it is the right plan for the UK and that the government is working closely with the Bank of England. Two days later, the country is witnessing massive protests against inflation.
OCTOBER 5
The prime minister once again defends her growth plans at the Conservative Party’s annual conference. Home interest rates exceed 6% for the first time since 2008, and even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is critical of economic conduct.
OCTOBER 12TH
Truss reiterates a pledge not to cut public spending during a parliamentary questioning session, but faces growing calls from within the Conservative Party to backtrack on his economic plan.
OCTOBER 14
With the crisis consolidating in his government, Truss fires the finance minister and appoints Jeremy Hunt, former minister of foreign affairs and health, to the post. He also announces a tax increase for companies, a rollback in his tax plan.
OCTOBER 17
The prime minister apologizes for mistakes that led to chaos in the market, but says she would not resign. “I was elected to work for this country. And that’s what I’m determined to do,” she told the BBC. By then, she had already lost the trust of most of her Conservative Party MPs.
OCTOBER 19
With her government on the brink of collapse, Truss loses yet another strong name in her government. Suella Braverman, who headed the important Interior portfolio, resigns under a technical justification: she said she violated civil service rules by sending official documents using a personal email profile.
20 OF OCTOBER
After weeks of frying, the catastrophic reception to his plans for the economy and the split in his party, Truss resigns. “Given the circumstances, I will not be able to fulfill the promises on behalf of which I was elected by the Conservative Party,” she said.
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