Pivotal role for the Queen’s final PM
Liz Truss reads second lesson ahead of first global summit with UN chiefs
LIZ Truss played a prominent role at the Queen’s funeral before flying off to attend her first global summit as Prime Minister today.
Just a fortnight after winning the Tory leadership contest, she delivered the second lesson during the service at Westminster Abbey.
Miss Truss read verses from chapter 14 of the Gospel of St John in which Jesus tells his disciples ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’ Beforehand, she had been greeted outside by senior clergy after being driven to the Abbey with her husband Hugh O’Leary.
But not everyone watching worldwide appeared to recognise her, with one Australian TV presenter wrongly describing her as one of the ‘minor royals’.
Miss Truss was last night due to fly to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where she will appeal to world leaders to step up their support for Ukraine and tighten the vice on Russia’s economy.
Ahead of the gathering, she pledged a further £2billion of military aid next year.
She said it was vital that Ukraine was given the support it needed to continue its ‘inspirational’ counter- offensive against Vladimir Putin’s invading forces.
The UK is already the second biggest military donor to the country, with £2.3billion in weapons and ammunition pledged this year.
Downing Street said Miss Truss was committed to ‘ match or exceed’ the sum next year, as a signal to both sides that the UK’s support would not waver.
Ukrainian forces have made spectacular gains in recent weeks, taking back more than 1,000 square miles of territory seized by Russia in the early weeks of the war.
Speaking ahead of her trip last night, Miss Truss said: ‘ Ukraine’s victories in recent weeks have been inspirational. Time and time again these brave people have defied the doubters and showed what they can do when given the military, economic and political support they need.’
She concluded: ‘My message to the people of Ukraine is this: the UK will continue to be right behind you every step of the way. Your security is our security.’
Last week saw the largest commercial road move of ammunition since the Second World War as tens of thousands of more rounds of UK-donated ammunition went to the front lines in Ukraine. Ministers are now looking at supplying more multiple launch rocket systems, which have played a key role in Ukraine’s fightback.
The visit to New York effectively relaunches Miss Truss’s premiership, which was put on hold after just 48 hours following the death of the Queen. In her speech at the event, Miss Truss will also urge world leaders to build up alternative energy supplies to curb Putin’s ability to weaponise Russia’s vast reserves of oil and gas.
She will also hold a string of oneto-one meetings with fellow world leaders in New York in the coming days, beginning with Emmanuel Macron today.
A Whitehall source acknowledged that she may need to bury the hatchet with the French president after she jokingly questioned whether he was a ‘friend or foe’ during the Tory leadership.
The source said: ‘That comment obviously didn’t land well with him but he’s a politician – he understands that things get said during the heat of a campaign.’
Miss Truss will also hold her first formal talks as PM with US President Joe Biden tomorrow. The two leaders are likely to discuss his concerns about the post- Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland.
The issue is also expected to come up with Mr Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom Miss Truss will also meet tomorrow.
Back home, Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg is expected to set out further details of a multibillion pound energy support package tomorrow, ahead of Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s emergency minibudget on Friday.