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Boris Johnson is gone. The starting signal for the race for the successor has been given. The name of the new British Prime Minister should be clear by the beginning of September. Almost a dozen men and women have applied to succeed him. The competition has been running since Tuesday.
In a first step, the field was already reduced to eight people. The long list should be reduced to two favorites by the summer holidays. They then go on an election tour. So far everything is good – but the conservative ruling party could well face a difficult summer.
It might get loud
Because the political drama does not end with the resignation of Boris Johnson and his demotion to temporary caretaker of Downing Street. Only the curtain on the next act has lifted. The list of those who would like to play the leading role in the future is pleasingly diverse. The former British colonial power could soon be ruled by a black woman or a grandson of Indian immigrants.
But nobody is interested in such finesse at the moment. In two weeks, Parliament will go on vacation. This means that the candidates have little time to present themselves. In the next few days things will therefore get loud: taxes up or down? Brexit yes or no? Climate change humbug, isn’t it? All in all, more of an attitude test than a program.
The sour fruits of divorce drama
And yet it becomes clear what pile of rubble Johnson leaves behind. “Let’s get Brexit done!” was the slogan that brought him to power. The fruits of the divorce drama, however, taste rather sour to this day. The applicants are anything but unanimous about how control over money, borders and laws should finally be implemented. The danger that there will be a mudslinging and that the various wings of the party will tear each other apart on the open stage in the coming weeks is therefore quite intact.
The characters of the protagonists are also different. Crown favorite Rishi Sunak embodies the complete opposite of Johnson. He’s a serious creator, but his performance always comes across as slightly oily and robotic. Secretary of State Liz Truss, on the other hand, is not averse to populist activism. The current finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, prefers discretion. He can’t remember at all these days how big his fortune is.
The coming summer slump still leaves plenty of room for more toxic revelations and embarrassment.
Rampant poverty in Britain
But most Britons literally don’t have much to say about it. The new prime minister is elected by the conservative party base. That is, about 0.35 percent of the UK population. But it’s not the rules of the game of parliamentary democracy that people suffer from. Rather under “Long Boris”, “Long Brexit” and “Long Tories”.
Around ten million people in Britain live on the poverty line. Anyone who only eats once a day, can no longer pay their gas bill and has to mend their own teeth is less interested in the name of the next resident of Downing Street and more interested in what he or she will be like next winter survived.