UPDATE–BREAKING NEWS (Oct. 24): Rishi Sunak will be Britain’s next prime minister. He took over as leader of Britain’s Conservative Party in the UK on October 23. He is expected to become prime minister early this week. At 42, Sunak will be the youngest British PM in 200 years, the first PM of colour and the first Hindu to hold the post of prime minister.
___________________
Liz Truss is stepping down from her job as British prime minister.
Once it’s official, she will become the person who has held that job for the shortest amount of time.
Truss, who was appointed as prime minister on September 6, says she is quitting because she can no longer do the kinds of things she wanted to do for the country.
Just the day before she told British parliament that she was “a fighter, not a quitter.”
However, the next day Truss went to King Charles III and told him she had decided to resign (quit her job).
Shortly after Truss was elected, she announced a plan that would favour rich people by cutting their taxes, among other things. Many people in Britain and around the world said the plan would be a financial disaster for the UK. Even members of the party Truss led, the Conservatives, disagreed with some of her actions.
A new prime minister is expected to be in place by the end of October.
THINK & DISCUSS
- Did you know who Liz Truss was before you read this article? What questions do you have about who she is and why she was elected (or why she quit)? How will you find out the answers to those questions?
- If you don’t live in Britain, is this event significant to you or not? Why or why not?
- If you do live in Britain, how does this even affect you (no matter what your age)?
- What does the leader of a country do?
- How many countries’ leaders can you name? Do some research to find out who the leaders of some other countries are.
LINKS
UPDATED: CBC article about Rishi Sunak: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/britain-conservaties-sunak-1.6626988
CBC article about Truss’ resignation: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/britain-truss-pm-1.6622900
The New York Times’ “guide to the basics” about Liz Truss’ resignation: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/world/europe/uk-politics-liz-truss.html
This Guardian (UK) article includes information about some of Liz Truss’s economic plans: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/20/the-mini-budget-that-broke-britain-and-liz-truss
