Policy inconsistent with UK reality: Cornell experts available on Truss resignation

Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss has announced she will resign after 44 days in office. The following Cornell University experts are available to discuss what’s next for the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Daniel Schade, visiting assistant professor of government, studies the politics of the European Union.

Schade says: “The instability of the UK’s political system couldn’t come at a worse moment given the state that the country currently finds itself in. Domestically, the economic fallout of Brexit and of the Covid-19 pandemic had already left significant scars. Since Russia’s re-invasion of Ukraine energy prices have skyrocketed and thus put a significant further strain on the cost of living.”

“While Brexit is not the immediate cause of the current crisis, it contributed to a significant political division of the country. The Conservative party, in turn, became increasingly fragmented, with relevant parts increasingly adopting radical political positions over internal power struggles."

“The current situation leaves the UK with questionable parliamentary majorities, a Conservative party that finds it ever more difficult to credibly unite around a single leader, and an eventual government that will be left without any political legitimacy whatsoever. It is difficult to imagine a situation in which the increasing calls for early elections will not be heeded in the coming weeks and months, especially since the need for a stable government becomes more urgent as the winter approaches.”

Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor of government, is an expert on European politics.

Cirone says: “The Conservatives have been making policy choices completely inconsistent with reality, and it has led to chaos within the UK. The next Tory prime minister -- if there is one -- must stand up to ideologues that have captured the Tory party and be realistic about both the economic consequences of Brexit and the policy failures of their successors.”
 
For interviews contact Becka Bowyer, cell: (607) 220-4185; rpb224@cornell.edu.