The new British Prime Minister inherits a whole host of problems from her predecessor. Truss wants to settle the Brexit dispute with Brussels over the Northern Ireland protocol as soon as possible. However, it continues to calculate without the EU.
The new British Prime Minister Liz Truss wants to end the ongoing dispute with the EU as a result of Brexit. The 47-year-old told Parliament in London she was “determined” to settle the dispute over trade with Northern Ireland. Truss answered questions from MPs for the first time since her appointment by Queen Elizabeth II the previous day. She had previously chaired her first cabinet meeting.
Truss emphasized to MPs that she wanted a “negotiated solution” in the post-Brexit dispute over trade with Northern Ireland. “But that has to deliver all the things that we have set out in the Northern Ireland Protocol Act.” According to the law, parts of the agreement between the EU and London are to be abandoned as a result of Brexit. The law is currently going through the UK Parliament.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Truss on taking office. He is looking forward to “continuing the close and good cooperation between the United Kingdom and Germany as partners and friends in these challenging times,” wrote the SPD politician on Twitter. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin that there were “clear agreements between Great Britain and the EU”. These “should apply – no matter who moves into 10 Downing Street,” said Hebestreit, referring to the official residence of the British heads of government.
Former Brexit opponent Truss is now a staunch supporter of Britain’s exit from the EU and advocates changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, which is part of the Brexit deal between Brussels and London. In her previous position as foreign minister, she had played a key role in driving forward the law amending the protocol.
In the protocol, London had agreed to goods controls between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, London sees unnecessary “trade barriers” to the British provinces. Now, however, the British government wants to abolish most controls between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain without consulting the EU and exempt British traders for goods deliveries to Northern Ireland from the obligation to make EU customs declarations. London argues that the Northern Ireland Protocol undermines peace in the region by crippling government there. The EU is threatening the British with sanctions in the event of a unilateral treaty change.
Truss succeeded Boris Johnson on Tuesday after members of the Conservative Tory party elected her party leader – and automatically Prime Minister. Johnson resigned in early July after an internal party revolt against his much-criticised leadership as party leader and on Tuesday as prime minister.
