The month of September brought a great win for the Conservative Party, as well as a sorrowful death for the monarchy in the United Kingdom. Liz Truss has taken over for Boris Johnson as prime minister after defeating her contender, Rishi Sunak. However, Britain’s next leader must face a frightening economic crisis. 

The new prime minister was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II two days before the queen’s death. The very flame of England was extinguished soon after she had a health complication at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The country went into mourning after the royal family announced her passing online.

After Boris Johnson resigned, the Conservative Party still held an overall majority in the House of Commons; thus, they were able to choose Johnson’s successor through a party leadership contest. After six rounds of voting, Truss became Britain’s third female prime minister, after Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher. Just like her predecessors, she will be faced with a frightening set of issues such as labor unrest, inflation and an impending recession. 

Many doubt the new prime minister will last as the next elections will be held in January 2025. Her prior opposition to Brexit has made her unpopular in the public eye. There are also doubts surrounding her capability to fix the increased inflation and labor shortage, as well as the wave of strikes in the postal, train, port, school, health care and garbage collection sectors. 

However, Truss does deserve credit, as she recently demonstrated — alongside Johnson — fortitude in countering Vladimir Putin’s bloody aggression against Ukraine in the face of Kremlin energy supply blackmail. If Truss wants to succeed during her term as prime minister, she must continue to stand firm and encourage the UK to do the same, even as Russia’s grip on the oil and gas industry tightens. Johnson was what one might deem a clownish and impressionistic politician. Truss should reestablish the respectable comportment that is expected of the prime minister and 10 Downing Street. 

Queen Elizabeth’s death on Sept. 8, 2022 brought an end to her staggering 70-year reign, the longest a monarch has ruled over the United Kingdom in its history. She became queen regent at only 25 years old. Many historical events occurred throughout her lifetime, including World War II, her own silver jubilee, the 1966 mining disaster in Wales, Princess Diana’s death and COVID-19. 

Elizabeth’s passing comes just over a year after her husband, Prnce Philip, died in April 2021 and marks a complete overturning of power in Buckingham Palace. Her firstborn son, Charles, is next in line and will inherit the throne, becoming King Charles III. 

The royal rituals for the queen’s death have taken a toll on the economy as even King Charles said that there were royal concerns that people would not be able to cope during a “difficult winter”, especially as a 17% increase occurred in palace spending last year. Parliament is the place to decide if — and how — the monarchy should be remodeled. This is where Truss must step up to the impending challenges and take action regarding the economic crisis in the UK. It would be ideal for Truss and Charles to work together and go through with the innovative ideas and changes they have been promising.  

Truss will be taking on a very important role, especially with the recent passing of England’s longest-reigning monarch. She is faced with challenging times, but has a concise plan to aid the progression of England’s society. Hopefully, she will be able to work together with the new King Charles III, as they are both novel leaders with new and contemporary ideas. Truss has a comprehensive plan to fix England’s economic crisis, while Charles has some big ideas regarding issues such as climate change, urban blight and organic farming, to name a few. This time of loss also represents great change for the United Kingdom, and I personally am looking forward to seeing how these ideas are implemented throughout Truss’ term and beyond.