DIANE KNOX: The US has been watching politics in the UK closely
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Someone approached me the other day and said “Who in their right mind would want to be Prime Minister of your country right now?”, to which I laughed out loud.
Fair question, that’s for sure.
We got into a conversation about the parliamentary changes, inflation and, of course, Scottish independence.
Liz Truss’s reign as Prime Minister ended after a little more than six weeks, and the quest to find her replacement began.
Would it be a return for Boris Johnson? Many feel that Boris got us all into this mess, therefore should he be the man to sort it out? Or did he have his chance?
Boris features fairly heavily in the media coverage over here; I guess he’s seen as a bit of a character. There’s always something to say about him, put it that way!
But it’s clear from the US coverage of the last few weeks that Americans see the situation in the United Kingdom as messy, in a state of panic and in desperate need of some proper guidance to steady the ship and begin to sort out the financial disarray. Maybe, for once, they feel their government isn’t the laughing stock of the world..!
At the start of the week, it was announced that Rishi Sunak would become the next Prime Minister, the third in under two months and the youngest, at 42-years-old, since 1812.
When CBS announced the news, the presenters were laughing! They “oohed” and “aahed” as their correspondent outside Westminster reported that Penny Mordaunt had pulled out of the running just before the announcement was made. They almost made it sound like the X Factor!
Mr Sunak studied at Stanford University in California for a brief period of time, where he met his wife. The couple are estimated to be worth around $900 million, a piece of information that has been brought up many times in the news coverage surrounding the announcement.
Is someone with such personal wealth really the man to help with the cost-of-living crisis, and can he really understand what the people of the UK are struggling with?
The inflated economy, the cost-of-living crisis, Brexit and Conservative party divide make the hill a steep one to climb. However, Rishi Sunak was vocally critical of Truss’s economic plan, which was centred on tax cuts and was not covered favourably in the US, therefore he has already gained some support on this side of the pond.
Time will tell, but the state of parliament has a lot of people gripped over here.
n Well, the time has come for me to take a break from my column as my husband and I prepare to welcome our baby within the next few weeks. Time has truly flown by!
I want to take the opportunity to say thank you for all the kind messages, comments and interactions since I started this column and I hope to be back soon with my encounters of motherhood. Any, and all, tips gratefully received!
In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter (@KnoxyDiane) and on Instagram (@dianeknoxbalas) where I’ll be posting updates, and the announcement when baby boy makes his grand entrance.
Until then, I plan to put my feet up and relax a little before life changes, in the best way imaginable.
