The UK concludes a historic year in which it saw its monarch change for the first time in 70 years and its prime minister changed three times in three months, all of which has left the country in an uncertain position heading into the New Year. .
Boris Johnson started the year as prime minister but gave way to Liz Truss before Rishi Sunak took office. Britain, in that time, has seen a series of problems emerge across the economic spectrum that will continue to plague it in 2023.
But this year will remain the most significant in the UK as the year Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the world’s second-longest-reigning monarch, passed away. Her death touched every corner of the world, and now all eyes are on King Carlos III to see how he handles the awesome responsibility of ruling.
Between Sunak and Charles, there will be plenty of work to be done as they guide Britain through a difficult period.
PRIME MINISTER’S ROULETTE
Johnson’s reputation for a Teflon-like knack for deflecting scandal and controversy ultimately failed him after he elevated party member Chris Pincher to the powerful role of underboss whip despite allegations of sexual misconduct.
Facing a vote of no confidence, Johnson resigned voluntarily, sparking an incredible leadership challenge that lasted for months and eventually came down to just two candidates: former Finance Minister Sunak, who also helped oust Johnson with a very public notice of his cabinet post, and then Foreign Secretary Truss.
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Truss won, but his victory was short-lived, as he spent only 44 days in office, the shortest term for any British Prime Minister in history. Rumors of “no trust” began almost as soon as she took office, prompting a humorous website to livestream a lettuce to see if it would survive the Truss government.
And lettuce won after Truss and his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, released their mini-budget, which they argued would help stimulate the economy with tax cuts that would have reduced treasury revenues by some $54 billion.
The public and pundits rejected the plan and immediately called for Truss’s resignation. She eventually agreed, but ended up with the distinction as the last Prime Minister of Elizabeth’s reign.
Sunak won the second and brief leadership challenge. His personal wealth stems mainly from his wife Akshata Murty’s holdings in Infosys, his family’s India-based IT company. His 0.93% stake in the company is worth £700 million, making the couple richer than either Elizabeth or Charles.
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Many argued that Sunak’s wealth and lifestyle made it impossible for him to understand the problems of the common man. He also had to fight off some critics who accused him of not having the interest of “black, white or Asian” people. Sunak was born to Indian parents and is a practicing Hindu.
Sunak has ruled in silence, causing a sensation when he first announced he would not attend the COP27 climate summit before taking a sharp turn due to international criticism, then over his fall budget, which went in the exact opposite direction of the plan Truss and sought to raise taxes.
LEADER IN UKRAINE
The rotation of prime ministers has not interrupted one of the biggest initiatives Britain has undertaken this year: Lead support for Ukraine.
Defense Minister Ben Wallace remained an ardent supporter of Ukraine after the Russian invasion, and his ministry provided surprisingly transparent and frequent intelligence updates.
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Secret intelligence chief Richard Moore, along with his American counterpart, CIA Director William Burns, revealed over the summer that Russia may have lost at least 15,000 troops during the first months of the invasion, a catastrophic figure for what which was considered by many to be a superior force prior to the invasion. the beginning.
And perhaps one of the iconic moments of the conflict saw Johnson walking through the streets of Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in August, just five months after the invasion began, as a show of confidence that Ukraine had regained control of the capital and vouched for their safety.
The act drew comparisons to Churchill for the bravery and defiance Johnson displayed.
The UK continues to send arms support to Ukraine, something British politician Nigel Farage argued was only possible because of Brexit, as Europe spent weeks debating and negotiating how to appease its various members and pass its own support package.
Britain also moved early on to pass sanctions against Russia, including asset freezes and travel bans for more than 370 people (including oligarchs). Britain would work with the US, Europe, Canada and other allies to block Russia’s access to the SWIFT banking system, effectively cutting Moscow off from the Western global market.
ENERGY AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
The sanctions against Russia proved to be a double-edged sword, as Moscow significantly reduced its oil and gas deliveries to Europe and threatened to cut off grain shipments, putting the world at risk of famine.
The sudden shortage of oil supplies sparked a scramble among Western nations to approve additional pipelines and seek more OPEC+ production to make up for losses, but the price of oil and gas continued to rise.
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With winter coming, the UK may end up bearing the brunt of rising energy prices. An International Monetary Fund [IMF] The analysis found that the UK’s heavy reliance on gas to heat homes, as well as the relatively higher inefficiency in home heating, could cause Britain to pay more than any European country as part of household income.
Those energy costs have also hit business, with many pubs and restaurants facing increased financial pressure as they struggle to keep their doors open.
“The price goes up every day,” Lindsey Armstrong, owner of Champs Sports Bar and Grill in the small northeast England town of Washington, told the New York Times of her electricity contract, which will cost her $135,000 a year, a leap from the usual. cost around $30,000.
Rising energy costs, and coincident inflation, pushed several unions to go on strike in various industries across the country, including postal workers, train operators, garbage collectors, ambulance drivers, and teachers. .
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Sunak told Parliament he would “take action to protect the lives and livelihoods of the British public” if “union leaders continue to be unreasonable.” Sunak and Labor Party leader Sir Keir Starmer argued over the union disputes, with Sunak accusing Starmer of not “standing up for the workers”, while Starmer claimed that Sunak was “great” and needed to “solve these issues”.
ROYAL DRAMA
Elizabeth’s passing shocked the world as she was considered by many to be a pillar, a constant presence in their lives since before they were even born. The world mourned her death, and Britain virtually went into lockdown for a week as some mourners stood for more than a day for a chance to pay their respects.
From Churchill to Truss, Queen Elizabeth II had a small but important part in running the country, a task that fell to her son Charles. At the age of 74, King Charles III is the oldest British monarch to assume the throne, and his coronation is scheduled for early May.
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But Charles had to keep his house in order after Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, released a Netflix documentary in December detailing their lives together from the beginning of their relationship to the decision to step down from their royal duties. in 2020. .
The documentary caused a stir in the UK, but the second part was released to little fanfare.
Instead, it was an accusation of racism against a member of the Buckingham Palace family that drew the most public attention.
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Lady Susan Hussey, Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting and Prince William’s godmother, resigned after she allegedly repeatedly asked a black woman what country she “came from”.
Buckingham Palace said it took the incident “extremely seriously” and promptly investigated.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
