Biden says UK-US alliance still ‘strong’ after Liz Truss resigns as PM
President Biden led the global response to British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ resignation Thursday by thanking the soon-to-be former Conservative Party leader for “holding Russia accountable for its war against Ukraine.”
“The United States and the United Kingdom are strong Allies and enduring friends — and that fact will never change,” Biden said in a written statement. “We will continue our close cooperation with the U.K. government as we work together to meet the global challenges our nations face.”
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Biden reiterated that Truss had been “a great partner on Russia and Ukraine.”
“The British are going to solve their problem,” the president added as the Tories prepare to choose their third leader this year. “She was a good partner.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin danced on Truss’ political grave, with Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying: “Britain has never known such a disgrace of a prime minister.”
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and deputy chair of the country’s security council, mocked Truss by posting a snarky tweet referencing a UK tabloid’s joke asking whether Truss’ tenure or a head of unrefrigerated lettuce would last longer.
“Bye, bye @trussliz, congrats to lettuce,” Medvedev wrote.
With her resignation, Truss became Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister in history, quitting just 44 days after taking over from Boris Johnson.
“I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected,” she said while announcing her departure. “There will be a leadership election to be completed in the next week. This will ensure we remain on a path to deliver our fiscal plans and maintain our country’s economic stability and national security.”
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday declined to comment on Truss’ resignation as it “relates to British politics,” but said he and Truss “always had very constructive meetings and exchanges over the phone.”
“I also want to say that France, as a friend of the British people, wishes for stability and in this context of war and tensions over the energy crisis, it is important that Great Britain sets out again on the path of political stability and that’s all I wish for,” Macron said.
“On a personal level, I am always sad to see a colleague leave and I hope that stability will come back.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also had a “personal” comment regarding Truss, noting the two had “agreed on a whole range of views.”
“I had a good contact with her … so I’m annoyed for her personally,” Rutte said.
Micheál Martin, head of the Irish government, said he “sympathized” with Truss.
“I think it’s been a very difficult time for the British prime minister,” the taoiseach said as he arrived at the European Council, according to Politico. “Stability is very important, and we would like to see the UK system, within its capacity, to be in a position to have a successor selected as quickly as possible.”
Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, vowed she would continue working to maintain ties with the former European Union member ” both from a trade perspective, from an intelligence sharing perspective and from a security perspective.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took a shot at Truss’ conservative fiscal policies while touting his own leftist approach.
“It’s the end of an… old-fashioned approach of how to respond to this economic crisis,” he said, “which is lowering all the taxes and cutting welfare state policies.”
With Post wires
