On 7 July, Boris Johnson resigned the leadership of the Conservative party and announced that he would leave 10 Downing Street as soon as a successor was found. This news was ‘greeted with relief by a series of European political leaders’ (see EUROPE B12988A22), who saw it as an opportunity to revive the spirit of partnership. Although the European Commission was silent on the occasion, it reacted officially when Liz Truss was voted in by the members of her party on 5 September....