Long to-do list for Truss in busy start

A new British government with Liz Truss at the helm faces a daunting to-do list as the country stands on the brink of a deep economic crisis and with foreign policy challenges to manage, analysts said.

Truss was formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II as Britain's prime minister on Tuesday. The ceremony took place at the queen's Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Also on Tuesday, former prime minister Boris Johnson promised unswerving support for his successor, as he left Downing Street for the final time as government leader to tender his resignation. Johnson was forced to quit in July after losing the support of dozens of his ministers after months of scandals.

In a brief speech after her victory on Monday, Truss said she would make tax cuts and that tackling the energy crisis topped her agenda. She was expected to lay out her immediate plans for the nation on Thursday.

Li Guanjie, a researcher on British studies at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, said that the cost-of-living crisis is a serious question facing the British, as rising inflation leaves millions suffering.

After imposing sanctions on Russia over the conflict with Ukraine, the UK and other European countries have all faced spikes in natural gas prices, Li said.

The UK's inflation in July hit 10.1 percent, keeping the rate hovering around 40-year highs, with predictions of worse to come.

The increasingly fragile economy has slipped down the world rankings to sixth, below that of a surging India, Bloomberg News reported.

"The growth gap between the UK and India is also expected to widen, as India's economy is expected to grow at about 7 percent over the next few years, while the UK is likely to see negative growth next year," he said.

Tian Dewen, a researcher on European studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Truss also faces challenges in reducing the sentiment in favor of regional separatism. He cited earlier comments from Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, that she would seek a fresh referendum on Scottish independence next year.

"Without effective control of the separatist trends, the UK could even risk disintegration," Tian said.

Diplomatic relations

He said that Truss also has to improve relations with the European Union. A major issue is the Northern Ireland Protocol, a deal agreed by the UK and the EU to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit by keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods. But the arrangement has led to checks on goods crossing from the British mainland to Northern Ireland, creating a barrier to trade within the UK.

"To solve these problems, the prime minister needs to have courage and wisdom," he said.

Truss would also inherit many of Johnson's foreign policies, such as supporting Ukraine, he added.

During campaigning for the Conservative Party leadership, Truss made some provocative remarks toward China, but Tian hopes that attitude will not persist as she takes office.

China has become the largest source of goods imported by the UK and an important importer of the UK's trade in services, he said.

"Adopting a hostile attitude would damage the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries and is not in the interest of the UK at all," he said.

Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, said China and the UK should try their best to avoid political and ideological disagreements and carry out practical cooperation in areas such as education, healthcare, insurance, financial services, and climate change.

Agencies contributed to this story.