Is UK 'Ready for Rishi'?

 

By Rahul Dixit 

For all the bravura she put up after the barrage of criticism heaped on her by outgoing party colleagues, Ms. Liz Truss was always facing a losing battle as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The brave front of being “a fighter and not a quitter” collapsed within a few hours as the embattled Prime Minister finally tendered her resignation to end a chaotic six weeks at 10 Downing Street. All through the stay at the top post, Ms. Truss’ ill-founded economic policies had only created a bond market rout and financial mayhem which vastly dented her approval ratings in the Conservative Party. Ms. Truss’ resignation has brought to end a tumult in the UK that could have easily cost the Tories dear. 

The writing was already on the wall for Ms. Truss after Home Secretary Ms. Suella Braverman’s resignation on Wednesday. It had further pushed the Government on the verge of collapse. Ms. Braverman was appointed by Ms. Truss just 43 days ago but the PM fell out with the Indian-origin senior member over the botched economic plan. The charges that Ms. Braverman unleashed on Ms. Truss in her resignation letter reflected the efforts of bullying by the Prime Minister. The PM was treading on a slippery ground which was seen in the acrimony and accusations in the Parliament after Ms. Truss’ statement of staying put in the office. The mood in the party was of a repentance for choosing Ms. Truss over Indian-origin Mr. Rishi Sunak who had warned against his rival’s illogical economic plans.

Ms. Truss has wisely chosen to exit for the sake of the party. General opinion had started to favour the Labour Party after the tax cut U-turns by Ms. Truss. She had promised the sky but faced a harsh reality once the markets started wobbling over the ill-advised move. The British Pound started taking a severe beating on the wrong policies following which Ms. Truss had to shelve her plans in a major embarrassment for the ruling party. The subsequent actions further worsened her case as she first sacked Chancellor Mr. Krasinski Kwarteng who was only implementing her own ‘mini budget’ and then tried to bully Ms. Braverman after a face-to-face meeting over the horrendous economic plans. In both the episodes, Ms. Truss was seen as the main culprit who had lost faith in her people but refused to accept her own mistakes. Her displacement has ended a big turbulence in the already beleaguered nation which has seen three Prime Ministers passing through the revolving door in the last couple of years.

From Ms. Theresa May to Mr. Boris Johnson to Ms. Liz Truss, the United Kingdom has seen three PMs, in the last three years, who could not win the faith of their countrymen on restoring the sagging economy. Ms. May could not navigate the country in the Brexit deal with the European Union which Mr. Johnson did but could not give a further direction to UK’s trade relations with either Europe or rest of the world. His controversial time as the PM, especially during the COVID-19 period which saw him getting embroiled in a lockdown party row, came to an end after the Tories put their foot down. In the aftermath, Mr. Rishi Sunak was supposed to be the natural successor for his prudent economic plans as the Finance Minister. But Ms. Truss prevailed over the lawmakers with her lofty tax cut dreams. The wrong choice by the party members has finally boomeranged on the country.

The way ahead for the Conservative Party is to find a suitable replacement who could shore up the economy. Despite all reservations by a section in the party, there cannot be a better choice than Mr. Sunak to take over as the Prime Minister. His campaign was based on the prevailing reality and his economic policies should hold the United Kingdom in a better stead. But for that to happen, the Britons, as whole, must overcome their racial biases. Mr. Sunak was a clear case of being denied for his Indian-origin. Same was the case with Ms. Braverman who has hinted at bullying by Ms. Truss. The country, and even the Monarchs, need to effect a change in the collective mindset. The ‘White vs Others’ thought has to be discarded if Britain wishes to stand firm in the face of the economic meltdown. It is all about making the right choices based on merit and not prejudice.