European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is expected to speak to Truss by phone in the coming days, tweeted her congratulations, citing shared challenges from climate change to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said: “I look forward to a constructive relationship, fully respecting our agreements.” Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s top official for relations with the UK, said a positive relationship between the two is of great strategic importance. “I am ready to work intensively and constructively with my new interlocutor in the United Kingdom to promote such cooperation, in full respect of our agreements.” The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also congratulated Truss, saying “the British nation is our ally”, just weeks after Truss told Tory MPs at a stalking event in August that she was undecided whether she was “friend or foe ». when asked. “Congratulations to Liz Truss on her election,” Macron tweeted. “The British people are our friends, the British nation is our ally. Let us continue to work together to defend our common interests.” Behind the scenes, EU officials have low expectations for improved relations with Truss, the architect of a bill to bypass key aspects of the Northern Ireland protocol, which could lead to a trade war. “The desire on this side is to improve things, to have a more constructive relationship, but I don’t think anyone is holding their breath,” said one EU diplomat. The diplomat argued that the Trust’s reliance on Eurosceptic Conservative MPs did not bode well for its ability to compromise. They added: “Looking at where Liz Truss got her support, I don’t really expect her to have that much room to manoeuvre. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong.” ‘Delivery, delivery, delivery’: Truss changes and thanks Johnson in acceptance speech – video Sources hope that once installed in No 10, Truss will take a different approach to EU relations. “Obviously the reservations that were there beforehand remain given that it was the Foreign Secretary who brought it through [Northern Ireland] bill before the summer,” said one EU diplomat. “From the EU’s perspective, there is always a window of opportunity with the new prime minister because the EU will be open to talks and negotiations.” Nathalie Loiseau, a French MEP who co-chairs the UK’s EU partnership parliamentary assembly, said she wished Truss the best of luck “because the UK’s success is important to its allies and neighbours”. Loiseau, a former Europe minister, added: “I hope he will avoid making things difficult between the EU and the UK and join a strong partnership.” David McAllister, a German centre-right MEP who chairs the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, congratulated Truss while pointing to the deals the British government had signed. He said: “The EU wishes to have a stable and positive relationship with the UK based on our agreements, which have been mutually negotiated, signed and ratified by the EU and the UK. Facilitating the practical implementation of the protocol for Ireland and Northern Ireland is crucial.” Timetable
Liz Truss’ timeline
projection Outline of the new prime minister’s schedule for the next few days September 6, 2022 Tuesday Early morning flight to Aberdeen to prepare to meet the Queen. Once Boris Johnson meets the Queen and leaves Balmoral, Liz Truss will arrive to meet Her Majesty and be appointed as the UK’s next Prime Minister. Early afternoon: Truss leaves on a flight back to London, where she is likely to be briefed on national security matters. Noon: Truss arrives at Downing Street and makes her first speech as Prime Minister. Late afternoon and early evening: the Prime Minister begins making senior cabinet appointments and holds meetings with the civil service. Phone calls from world leaders. September 7, 2022 Wednesday Morning: first cabinet meeting Noon: first PMQs tackled by Keir Starmer Afternoon: appointment of junior ministers and further briefings. September 8, 2022 Thursday Truss to unveil plans to tackle rising energy bills Thanks for your response. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was one of the first leaders to offer public congratulations, in a tweet that avoided referring to the UK-EU row. He said: “I look forward to our working together in these difficult times. The UK and Germany will continue to work closely together – as partners and friends.” Truss, who will become prime minister on Tuesday, will be tested on her openness to working with the EU when she is invited to join European leaders for a summit in October. He will be invited to discuss the creation of the European Political Community, a pan-European body dedicated to promoting security and other ties between the nations of Europe. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Her elevation to 10 Downing Street drew some flak from the Kremlin, which said acrimonious relations with Britain could get even worse. “I would not like to say that things can change for the worse, because it is hard to imagine anything worse,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked if Moscow expected any change in relations with Britain, Reuters reported. . “But, unfortunately, this cannot be ruled out.” In Moscow, Truss is best known for her meeting in February with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who complained that her interventions were “just slogans shouted from the stands”. In the meeting, which took place two weeks before the Russian invasion, Truss questioned Lavrov over the massing of 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, which Moscow denied was in preparation for an attack. She was also mocked by the Russian government for confusing Russian territories with Ukrainian territory and apparently confusing the Black and Baltic seas. Truss received a warmer reaction from the UK’s traditional allies. In a statement of congratulations, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern referred to New Zealand’s “extremely strong relationship with the UK based on our shared values, history and culture”. In her roles as Trade Secretary and then Foreign Secretary, Truss was “a staunch supporter of the UK’s ‘plunge’ to the Indo-Pacific and played a central role in promoting our historic free trade agreement”, Ardern said. Gibraltar’s prime minister, Fabian Picardo, praised Truss’ role in negotiating the post-Brexit future of the British overseas territory, which voted to remain in the EU. “Liz has been instrumental in securing trade deals for Gibraltar and as Foreign Secretary we have worked very closely together on all issues, particularly in the negotiations for a UK/EU treaty on Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU,” he said. Additional reporting by Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington and Sam Jones in Madrid.
