Tough times ahead for new PM

Liz Truss came out victorious yesterday in the hard-fought battle to become Tory leader and will be formally appointed by the Queen at Balmoral Castle today.

But there will be no honeymoon period for the former foreign secretary as she faces a multitude of challenges and will be under immediate pressure to follow through on her bold promises to deal with soaring energy costs and to cut taxes.

Many might think a change of prime minister is of no relevance to us here in Guernsey, but as our chief minister, Deputy Peter Ferbrache, made clear yesterday, our links to the UK ‘are constitutional, historical, social and economic, and therefore touch all aspects of islanders’ lives’.

It is crucial that our politicians maintain a good relationship with their UK counterparts. It would be naive to believe we are immune to the major decisions made across the water.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether Ms Truss will manage to rise to the many challenges she now faces, including a cost of living crisis, a struggling NHS, Northern Ireland deadlock and an ongoing war in Ukraine – and that’s just for starters.

But whatever your previous views on No. 10’s latest occupant, all we can do now is wish her the best of luck.

She’s certainly going to need it.