Liz Truss, the current British Foreign Secretary, was chosen on Monday 5 September as the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by the members of the Conservative Tory party, who had to choose between her and former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak. Liz Truss received 57% of the vote from Tory voters, compared to her opponent who received 43%.
She succeeds Boris Johnson, who was forced to step down as Conservative Party chairman and Prime Minister after a series of revelations of his antics during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a tweet, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent her “congratulations” to Ms Truss. “The EU and the UK are partners. We face many challenges together, from climate change to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I look forward to a constructive relationship, in full respect of our agreements”, she added. “A positive relationship is of great strategic importance. I stand ready to work intensively and constructively with my new UK interlocutor to foster such a partnership, in full respect of our agreements”, reacted the Vice-President of the Commission, Maroš Šefčovič.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney hoped for “a change of direction” as relations between the Commission and Boris Johnson’s government deteriorated in 2022, including the introduction of a UK bill challenging the withdrawal agreement and its protocol on Northern Ireland.
The European Commission is still looking for “new starts and anything that can help us move forward will be welcome”, reacted Commission spokesman Eric Mamer, who added: “But our expectations have not changed and what we expect is a full implementation of the withdrawal agreement and the trade and cooperation agreement”.
On Friday 2 September, in a speech to the Anglo-Irish Association, Mr Šefčovič had stressed that “our partnership (with the UK) and the trust that underpins it requires - and depends on - the fulfilment of these legally binding commitments”. He also reiterated the EU’s major concerns about British unilateral actions. “For my part, I am ready to work intensively and constructively with any new UK interlocutor to find a common solution within the framework of the protocol. The EU will never leave the negotiating table”, he added. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)