World News for Students of English

12-09-2022 07:00

Liz Truss has become Britain’s new prime minister after she won a leadership race for the governing Conservative Party.

Since the 2015 election, Truss is the fourth prime minister from the party. She replaced Boris Johnson at a time when the country has a cost of living crisis, industrial and social unrest, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

In her first speech, Truss announced her plan to cut taxes and grow the British economy. She also promised to deal with long-term issues of energy supplies. The Ukraine war is hitting countries across Europe; however, Britain particularly depends on gas, and its inflation rate is higher than other major European economies.

Experts say they have never seen a prime minister start in the office with such unfavorable headwinds, such as strikes everywhere from rail workers to lawyers or bin collectors. Truss will have to work hard to win the supporters of her rival and Britain’s former finance minister, Rishi Sunak.

Difficult words: unrest (a state of dissatisfaction and disagreements), headwinds (conditions that stop progress), rival (a competitor).

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