New prime minister Liz Truss [Lauren Hurley/No 10 Downing Street]

• WE are pleased to see Liz Truss elected with a large mandate to lead our party and to become our third woman prime minister.

We face monumental challenges over the next few months, from the cost of fuel driven by Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, to the NHS, and we know that many Islingtonians will be concerned about their futures.

Liz Truss has a long track-record of delivery, having served as a minister for over a decade and in cabinet for eight years. She is on the side of hard-working people, and takes the challenges we are all facing seriously.

Her leadership will bring a real focus to addressing these challenges and ensuring a greater level of economic and energy security in the future that will directly benefit the people of Islington.

When the PM made her first speech in Downing Street on Tuesday she outlined her key priorities, boosting economic growth, immediate support for the cost of living, and fixing the NHS crisis.

The announcement on energy bills adds to the significant support the government has been giving families throughout the cost of living crisis.

By freezing energy bills for the next two years, households can expect savings of at least £1,000 per year, giving certainty on energy prices so people can get through the winter. This will help slow inflation, ensuring incomes go further.

On the NHS, it is clear this will be at the heart of the new government’s priorities. Thérèse Coffey, the new health secretary, is also the deputy prime minister, showing just how vital fixing the NHS’s problems is for the new PM.

We now have a clear set of priorities for getting the NHS back on track, focusing on ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists.

The Conservatives have always been a broad church, and the cabinet reflects this fact. The new cabinet is one of the most diverse in history, with a focus on expertise and delivery.

Islingtonians can rest assured that the government is back on track and will now work
at breakneck speed to resolve the crises our country faces.

This is in stark contrast to the situation locally, where Islington Labour have failed to deliver on the borough’s priorities.

Islington has the fourth highest level of child poverty in the country and bus cuts are being forced through by Sadiq Khan. Islington Labour have been more concerned with playing politics than working for the people of Islington, blaming the government for their own inaction.

Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz’s tenure as council leader has brought a vacuum of leadership and an abdication of responsibility.

It is clear that the Conservatives are the only party that put the hard-working people of Islington first.

It is time for Islington Labour to step up and start supporting families and businesses here, as Liz Truss is doing nationally.

OLIVER HALL
Islington Conservatives