What is Liz Truss’s new role as prime minister?
There is a new prime minister in the UK. After winning the Conservative Party’s leadership contest, the Right Honourable Liz Truss MP will take Boris Johnson’s place in 10 Downing Street.
If you ask any 10-year-old class what they want to be when they grow up, quite a few of them probably said prime minister. How many people in their 40s would still say the same thing now is debatable. In actuality, Truss’ to-do list is possibly the most intimidating that any incoming prime minister has encountered—perhaps only Winston Churchill’s 1940 overseas invasion ranks higher. Drastically rising energy costs, a crisis in the cost of living, and skyrocketing inflation are just a few of the problems facing Truss in her first weeks, not weeks, in office.
Reversing the rapidly rising expense of living
Of course, the UK’s energy problem tops Truss’s list; companies have seen their rates soar by around
in certain circumstances. Help must undoubtedly be on the way, as so many hospitality firms are experiencing eye-watering hikes in their energy prices (an announcement is planned today, September 8).
“Much more would have changed if the government had intervened two months earlier. This summer’s delays have severely damaged consumer confidence. Leeds resident James Greenhalgh, who owns a bar and coffee business,
The energy issue isn’t the only thing driving up costs; inflation is also soaring. The UK’s inflation rate has reached a which implies that consumers are paying more for food at a time when they are also having to find extra money for other expenses.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) Cymru was only too happy to highlight the challenges that all members of the food and beverage industry, especially farmers, face.
“Everyone in society is being negatively impacted by the present energy crisis, and businesses are also suffering greatly. According to NFU Cymru President Aled Jones, “Farming businesses are not immune from these impacts and we are hearing of members having to swallow exorbitant costs, which are predicted to rise higher later in the year.”
“The incoming prime minister must move quickly to collaborate with regulators and energy suppliers to address the growing expenses.
In an effort to help some people with their cost of living, the Soil Association has also called for the immediate implementation of universal free school meals for all Key Stage Two students (ages eight to ten). Additionally, they have called for increased funding for school meals “so that caterers are not forced to cut standards with ingredients that undercut British farmers, as part of a wider package of reforms to school food policy.”
The Soil Association has, however, also emphasized that, in order to guarantee that future crises are avoided as well as current one are resolved, a more comprehensive systemic overhaul is required. It’s evident that rather than improving, things have gotten worse recently. The group issued a letter to the new prime minister stating that immediate action is required to assist the millions of people who are suffering greatly due to the cost of living problem. Solutions must address the current crisis as well as safeguard our future.
You may also like:
Food security in emerging nations: issues and remedies
Are drinks the secret to increasing cannabis use among consumers?
Managing the lack of labour for mushroom picking
Supply-chain problems challenges
Energy may have usurped the title of “the largest challenge facing the food and beverage industry,” but the long-standing supply chain problems still persist. A CO2 catastrophe is hanging over this new administration, and imports and exports remain difficult due in part to Brexit.
Once more, NFU Cymru requests that Truss guarantee that markets stay accessible for its farmers within and outside of the United Kingdom.
“We would like to see the Prime Minister ensure that our pathways to our important export markets, the EU in particular, are not hampered by any trade barriers,” Jones added, citing the industry’s reliance on export markets, not least for our globally recognized PGI Welsh Beef and Lamb.
“It is generally known that the industry is concerned about the effects of imports allowed in future trade agreements, especially those already reached with countries like Australia and New Zealand. We would like to see the Prime Minister present a strategy detailing how their trade policy will complement our sector’s growth objective.
The NFU Cymru President’s worries have been mirrored by the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA), which is advocating for further industry-government collaboration to address the issue.
“We would ask the new Prime Minister and her chosen secretaries of state to engage more closely and collaboratively with industry so they can properly understand the issues we face and apply that insight to policy decisions going forward,” a spokesperson told New Food, citing the difficult trading conditions and supply chain threats that the industry is currently facing.
What will Truss say?
The issue on everyone’s mind is how the incoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will react, and there’s no doubt that a response will come shortly. The in-tray may be enormous, but its contents are as urgent: supply chain problems, which have been plaguing the business for some months, are still causing severe pain for all sectors, and energy bills are a problem that required careful thought yesterday and immediate action today.
Truss and her closest aides will undoubtedly start working on the contents of that infamous red box that the PM receives every day as soon as cabinet slots are filled. Sadly, she won’t have a honeymoon phase; the work will start right away and pour in thick and fast.