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Liz Truss Becomes New British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson Gives Final Speech; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Accuses Russia for Deteriorating Situation at Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Plant; Pakistan Flooding Victims Left with Nothing; Canada Stabbing Suspect Found Dead, Another on the Run. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired September 06, 2022 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER (voice-over): Your new prime minister will shortly go to the fantastic (INAUDIBLE) public service.
ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out with the old and in with the new. Boris Johnson departs 10 Downing Street and Liz Truss
becomes the 56th British prime minister.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOARES: A warm welcome, everyone. I'm Isa Soares, coming to you live from outside the Houses of Parliament in central London, where we expect the
U.K.'s new prime minister to speak in the next hour or so.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello. I'm Lynda Kinkade here in Atlanta, bring you the latest news from across the globe.
Welcome to a special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD.
Britain has a new prime minister. Liz Truss now holds the top job in Downing Street. A short time ago, she was invited to form a government by
the queen in a break with tradition.
The royal audience was held at the monarch's residence in Scotland, Balmoral. Liz Truss' conservative predecessor Boris Johnson bid farewell
from Number 10 earlier today. He announced his resignation after years of scandals.
The new prime minister today is cunning (ph) with congratulations. But some political observers say she has been handed a poison chalice. She has to
deal with the profound energy crisis and that raging inflation. So Liz Truss faces a nightmare.
Bianca Nobilo looks at what are ways the new prime minister -- Bianca, she's on her way now, I believe, from Balmoral. The defining moment, the
start of her premiership will be what she says outside those black lacquered doors at 10 Downing Street. That will define her premiership.
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It always does. It's the benchmark by which the premiership is measured. It will be those
promises. Many are hoping that she's a little more specific that she has been in this campaign.
She doesn't have much time. The latest possible date for another election would be 2024, just two years away.
SOARES: Those are saying that she is being handed a poison chalice -- these are very challenging times in terms of her entree. She has a huge
amount of work. That honeymoon period is going to be very short. The first order of business will be the cost of living crisis.
NOBILO: I think the honeymoon period will end when she hits the steps of Downing Street. I don't think there will be any slack there at all.
Tomorrow, she will face what many prime ministers say is the most daunting aspect of their premiership, which is Prime Minister's Questions. She is
facing Keir Starmer. He is a former prosecutor. She hasn't been great on the details. It might be quite a tricky combination.
She has this cabinet to appoint. She has a cost of living crisis plan to announce to the nation. She has huge tasks ahead.
SOARES: One of the first things I imagine we will see is her appointing a new cabinet.
How do you think she will do?
Will she try and stitch the party together and bring in those who might not be seen as allies?
NOBILO: We are going to learn a lot from who she selects. There have been concerns that she might form quite a right-wing cabinet. That's who she has
appealed to so far. We know a lot of her closest supporters are from that part of the party.
Interestingly, when we saw the supporters of Boris Johnson lined up outside Downing Street to applaud him as he gave his final speech as prime
minister, there were quite a few familiar faces who were big supporters of Liz Truss and could serve in the cabinet. That's a through line of
continuity between the two premierships.
There will be hope especially as her victory was not as decisive as was expected, that she will encompass more of a broad church in her selections
for the cabinet.
SOARES: Perhaps more conciliatory. You mentioned Boris Johnson.
What did you make of his speech?
It was very Johnson.
NOBILO: It was a return to form. Plagued by as many scandals as he was, having been pushed out of office in a way that would have seemed very
undignified, it was a return to form. It was Boris Johnson of the old years.
[10:05:00]
NOBILO: We had bombastic references, illustrations of him crashing into the Pacific --
(CROSSTALK)
NOBILO: -- but there were hints like we were discussing before the show about Cincinnatus. Boris Johnson is a classicist. He studied classics at
Oxford University.
He will know well that the whirlwind consult (ph) that he mentioned in his speech who, quote, return to his plow when his job was done in the
government, was actually called back because his citizens thought he was such a paragon of all things virtuous.
He led the state to victory again.
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: -- willing to be called back from this -- plow --
NOBILO: -- that was the subtext of the --
SOARES: -- also no apologies, no mea culpa over everything that has happened in terms of Partygate.
NOBILO: No, it was him starting to write the opening salvo of his political history, his biography, how he wants to be remembered, for
delivering Brexit, for taking such an influential role in arming Ukraine in the early days as well.
He said that he buttressed the health service in the country, that he delivered a number of other victories. That is how he wants to be seen in
perpetuity. It won't be the moment for him to admit wrongdoing.
SOARES: Basically setting up his legacy, what he believes is his legacy here. Bianca, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
At the top of Truss' to-do list, the energy crisis, forcing Britons to dig deeper to pay for the gas and electric bills. The new Truss government is
expected to move fast. There are reports of a major energy plan to be unveiled today to address these soaring bills.
Anna Stewart joins us live.
How are markets reacting to these potential solutions?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People in the U.K., I think if, you ask them what they want to see in the coming days from this new policymakers is
they want to see that they are either paid more or their bills are substantially reduced.
We are in a cost of living crisis. Looking at inflation, which is only heading higher, the worst number of all of the G7 nations. People are just
feeling like they are getting much poorer. Let's show you where wages are at. We can show you where wage growth is. Over 4 percent. That's good news,
right?
Then you look at the red line. That takes inflation into account. You can see that in real terms, people's wages are falling and falling incredibly
fast.
In the meantime, the biggest burden right now on households is energy costs. Already, the average household is spending about 50 percent more per
year on that energy bill. I can show you where that is going to head next month in October.
The energy price cap will be raised once again next month. You can see that we are now seeing that the average household will be expected to find an
additional around $2,500 more per year.
The expectation here is that this new government will freeze the price to where it is at right now so we don't see that further increase and we don't
see an increase next January as expected. That would be implemented and would stay in place until the election in 2024.
How would the Truss government pay for this?
We're lacking all of the details. We don't expect the plan to be announced until Thursday. The consideration here is that it would cost around 130
billion pounds. This would be energy suppliers taking out government backed loans and paying the difference in price.
Households would pay it back but over 10 to 20 years in some sort of supplement fee from those energy suppliers. We await more detail.
You asked about investors. Let's see where the pound is today. It has had a bit of a pullback from the lows we saw yesterday. It hit a low we haven't
seen since 1985. It is still under pressure.
Look at that. It has actually dropped since the beginning of the day. It's treading water around the $1.15 mark. The 10 year U.K. government bond is
hovering just under 3 percent, which is pretty high. So I think investors are still feeling a little bit nervous, Isa.
SOARES: Yes. When we spoke yesterday, I think the sterling was at four decade low or something. That's very worrying indeed. Let's talk about this
bold plan. Like you said, a lot of details are still missing in terms of how exactly that is going to be funded.
We are waiting to see who would be the Treasury Secretary here. There is a talk of quasi portend (ph). If it is him, he was writing in the "FT" in the
last few days.
What will his policy be like?
STEWART: Yes. Widely anticipated is the next chancellor would be the former business secretary quasi portend, a great ally of Liz Truss. He's
already told us what he thinks. We got quotes from that for you.
He said, given the severity of the crisis we face, there will need to be fiscal loosening to help people through the winter.
[10:10:00]
NOBILO: He said that he wants to provide reassurance that it will be done in a fiscally responsible way. Liz has committed to a lean state. We will
work to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio over time.
He's essentially saying that they remain a free market Tory government, pro business but there will be a short time when they will have to implement
some fiscal loosening. They have the long term picture at hand.
Liz Truss has promised lower taxes, less red tape for businesses. She wants to reverse the pan rise in corporation tax. She opposed a further windfall
tax for energy companies. This is a government that will sell itself as pro business.
SOARES: We shall see what the plan is. As soon as that is unveiled, we know that that is her priority. Anna Stewart, you will stay on top of it.
Thank you very much.
Liz Truss is the 50th British prime minister. One of her core constitutional duties is to visit the royal news section of our website,
cnn.com.
A nuclear power plant in the middle of a war zone and the explosions and bombing continue around it. An update for you next on the war in Ukraine.
That's coming up.
And flooding expands around Pakistan's largest lake. The unexpected development that put thousands more people in danger.
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KINKADE: Welcome back to CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Ukraine's president is blaming Russia for deteriorating conditions at the nuclear power plant in this operation. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian
bombing is making the situation at stable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Shelling the territory of Zaporizhzhya means the terrorist state doesn't care what
the IAEA says, what the international community decides. Russia is interested only in the fact that the situation would remain the worst and
as long as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Ukrainian authorities say the transmission line from the plant's last working reactor to Ukraine's energy grid had to be disconnected on
Monday. Apparently, a fire broke out but it did not damage the line. It was soon reconnected. Melissa Bell is following the developments from Kyiv and
joins us now.
Melissa, good to have you with us. It seems like little is being done to stem the hostility in and around that nuclear plant, with both sides
continuing to blame each other.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The shelling has continued unabated. We've seen the mayor of the town in which the Zaporizhzhya power plant
lies. He is no longer in the town now that it is in Russian hands.
But speaking about the conditions, saying that fresh shelling today, a large explosion had entirely cut off the town's water and electricity
supplies.
[10:15:00]
BELL: We have also been hearing from the Russian-backed administration of the region, Lynda, about the fact they also say that there has been renewed
shelling. That is something the two sides agree upon in terms of what has gone on today around the plant in the town of Enerhodar.
There has been more shelling. You mentioned a moment ago that the previous shelling, what we reported yesterday, that there had been that final
reserve power line that had been disconnected as a result -- things have taken a turn from the worse because as a result of the latest shelling,
according to the Russian-backed military civilian authorities.
It is now the sixth reactor at the plant, the only one that is now functioning as a result of the shelling of the last few days, that is
actually having to power down. So they are having to lessen the amount of power going because of the limited power supply.
That is of concern, of course. As we have been hearing these last few weeks, whenever there are issues to deal with the power supplies of the
plant, it is the cooling systems inside which become jeopardized. That is huge concern.
There are IAEA inspectors inside the plant. Two of them have stayed behind. We are due to hear tonight from the head of the IAEA. Rafael Grossi is
going to address the Security Council about what the six inspectors that he left behind last Thursday have found. Four of them left yesterday. Two of
them are still inside.
Even if their presence hasn't so far meant a cessation of hostility or even a quieting down of the shelling that has been going around the plant, at
least we hope their presence should be able to give us better information about what exactly is going on inside.
KINKADE: We will be bringing that to our viewers at 3:00 pm Eastern when it happens. I want to ask you, Melissa, about the counter offensive,
particularly around Kherson. We are hearing more about how Russian soldiers have been treating the locals in towns that have been retaken.
BELL: Well, the town that you referred to, a settlement of 5,000 people in the very north of that Russian controlled land, which is now on the front
line of the Ukrainian counter offensive, where they say they are starting to make a little progress.
They recaptured it on Sunday. We saw those images tweeted by several officials in Kyiv, showing the Ukrainian flag being placed once again on
the rooftops there. It's a symbol to give people on this side of the war hope, Lynda.
What we have been hearing from NGOs, who have been speaking to the people in this newly-liberated town, telling of a sad pattern. We have been
meeting with the prosecutor here in Ukraine, who's in charge of war crime investigations.
He says that although it is too early for him to say exactly what the investigation which will now begin will yield, he says that what he is
hearing goes with a pattern that has been observed throughout Ukraine.
We have seen it in those parts north of Kyiv. We have seen it in Chernihiv. We have seen in all those territories where Russian forces came, what they
leave behind, he said, is a trail of devastation and torture and rape and underground dungeons.
It is these kinds of investigations that mean, Lynda, that this is a country in which this prosecutor's office is now engaged and has launched
more than 32,000 war crimes investigations.
Some of them on the side of the divide in those parts of the country that are clawed back from Russian forces, some of them are on the other side of
the divide, trying to figure out exactly what's going on in those lands for the time being.
KINKADE: A huge task indeed, in just six months of war. Thank you very much, Melissa Bell.
Pakistan is struggling to control flash flooding around its biggest lake. Authorities there are telling CNN that Lake Manchar in Sindh province
breached unexpectedly today. That after a controversial decision by the government to release water from the lake on Sunday, which then flooded 150
nearby villages.
As CNN's Anna Coren reports, this only adds to the months of misery for Pakistanis plagued by catastrophic flooding.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stretching to the horizon and beyond, an expanse of endless brown murky water dotted with
tops of trees and roofs of houses.
Never before has Pakistan seen this scale of flooding, as water now covers one-third of the country. This climate change-induced disaster has been
months in the making with more than double the amount of rain falling since May in what the U.N. has referred to as a monsoon on steroids.
[10:20:00]
COREN (voice-over): Last month's deluge unleashed even more misery as violent torrents of water decimated townships, homes and crops, the sheer
volume unable to drain away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundreds of thousands of families now have absolutely nothing. The land where they had their houses is totally flooded. They
don't have anything more than what they are wearing.
COREN (voice-over): Some 33 million people have been affected. That is around 15 percent of Pakistan's population. More than 600,000 people have
moved into displaced persons camps.
But some of the most vulnerable have been left stranded. On this tiny strip of land are a number of families, their surviving livestock, a few
belongings and a 24 day old child. Her mother is sick, exhausted and struggling to care for her sixth child. She has marked the baby's forehead
to ward off evil spirits.
"I want my baby to survive but it is God's will if she dies," she says. "We can't afford to move from this area. We are at the mercy of nature because
we are poor people."
She says she labored with her baby through the rains. The World Health Organization says 1.2 million pregnant women are among those displaced
across Pakistan.
A few bags of aid have been dropped off but it is not enough to sustain the families, according to a 70-year-old grandmother, who has witnessed three
floods in her lifetime but nothing quite like this.
"We keep our eyes on our children after sunset. They could fall into the water and drown. We have one meal a day. We have to save food for our kids.
God, please help us."
But it's not just a lack of food they are worried about. Mosquitoes, venomous snakes and waterborne diseases are a constant threat. The WHO says
cases of typhoid, malaria and diarrheal diseases are rising and will undoubtedly worsen.
Foreign aid is slowly trickling in. Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and now head of USAID Samantha Power and U.N. secretary general Antonio
Guterres are due to arrive in Pakistan this week in a desperate bid to ramp up international assistance and support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pakistan, looking forward, is very dire. We have got to be there for the long term. We have got to be there for three or four
months minimum in order to save lives.
COREN (voice-over): But for these people, mere survival is a daily struggle. And these clear blue skies aren't expected to last long. More
devastating monsoonal rains are days away to further terrorizing a traumatized country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Police in Canada are still looking for one of the two brothers suspected in a deadly stabbing rampage. Damien Sanderson was found dead on
Monday close to where most of the bloodshed took place.
His brother, Myles, is still on the run and considered armed and dangerous. I want to bring in our Paula Newton, who has been following the manhunt
from Ottawa. She joins us live.
Paula, one suspect is reportedly dead.
What more can you tell us about that suspect and the other still on the run?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, the mystery here continues. As you can imagine, Lynda, it brings little comfort to the
victims and their friends and family.
They found Damien Sanderson, police say, in a field, in a grassy area, at the site of some of the original attacks. He here -- he had obvious wounds
that they say were not self inflicted.
They refused to speculate as to whether or not his brother, Myles Sanderson, might have killed him. In the meantime, Myles Sanderson, as you
said, is still wanted. He has already been charged with three counts of first degree murder.
I have to say, Lynda, we are almost 48 hours out from the last tip they received that Myles Anderson might have been in the capital of the province
of Saskatchewan about a 3.5 hour drive away from those original attacks. So this trail is officially cold.
At this point in time, they are telling everyone around the province to be vigilant but also to try and figure out if they have any leads, maybe
acquaintances, to look out for a black Nissan Rogue SUV.
Yet there really is not more information than that. We are awaiting more information from police on what they know about his whereabouts but also
about the victims as they try to identify next of kin.
KINKADE: What else are you learning about the victims?
Were they targeted?
Were these random killings?
Was it a mix of both?
NEWTON: You hear police speak of the kind of violence that was perpetrated here. It was absolutely savage. They talk about the fact that this did not
involve firearms, right?
[10:25:00]
NEWTON: As far as they know, they were all stab wounds. They talked about it as being the type of very personal crimes. It stands to reason that
because some of the attacks were targeted, the suspects knew some of their victims, there was also this tidbit that they believed, from eyewitness
accounts, that some of the other attacks were random.
The communities are trying to come to grips with what has happened. Some of the more blunt are describing it as a massacre. They didn't want to speak
publicly. I reached out to a couple of people in the community.
They say that they are stunned by what went on there. Furthermore, they say the healing can't begin unless Myles Sanderson, a member of that community,
why they will wait to hear more from police in very, very tense hours and days ahead.
KINKADE: Paula Newton for us. Thank you very much.
I want to get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now.
A Palestinian man was killed during an Israeli military operation in the West Bank on Tuesday. The IDF was in the town to demolish the home of a
terror suspect. Israel says troops responded after people threw rocks and explosive devices; 16 other Palestinians were wounded in that operation.
China says Monday's powerful earthquake has killed at least 65 people in the southwest. It also trapped more than 200 tourists and workers at a
popular nature reserve. Rescue teams are trying to clear the only road in the area to get them out. They are also searching for 12 people who remain
missing.
At least three people have died and several others are missing after a typhoon hit South Korea. Government officials say one victim was an elderly
woman, who died after mud buried her home. Roads and bridges have been closed and power has been knocked out.
Still to come, the Truss era has begun. The new British prime minister faces many challenges right out of the gate.
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SOARES: Welcome back, everyone, I'm Isa Soares, coming to you from outside the Houses of Parliament. We are monitoring the arrival of the new British
prime minister on this special edition of CONNECT THE WORLD. It is official. Britain has a new prime minister.
[10:30:00]
SOARES: She's the third woman ever to hold this top job. Liz Truss is expected to speak from 10 Downing Street in the next, what, 1.5 hours or so
after she was formally installed earlier today.
She met with Queen Elizabeth at Her Majesty's home in Balmoral. You can see there in Scotland. Trust replaces Johnson whose three year tenure was
peppered with scandals and eventually, of, course leading to his ouster.
After winning leadership of the Conservative Party on Monday, Truss promises Britain she would deliver, deliver, deliver. There is certainly
plenty to deliver on.
She inherits a country riddled, of, course with problems. That includes a crumbling health care system, a wave of labor strikes, as well as the
soaring inflation that could go higher. Really, daunting challenges await Liz Truss who is due in Downing Street in an hour or so. Nina dos Santos is
there for us now.
Nina, the heavens have opened. It is a gloomy day for a gloomy task ahead, for this new prime minister.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Very much an inauspicious start for the third woman only to hold this prestigious office. The two previous
female prime ministers, Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, late `70s and thereafter Theresa May more recently during this Conservative government.
Liz Truss will be hoping that it's third time lucky to stave off a recession. She has got to deal with, as you, said many of the issues that
are the toughest, not just in this generation but in multiple generations.
She has got to try and fix all of that with an election around the corner in about two years' time with a divided party, too. Expecting her to arrive
here probably within about an hour to make a speech on the steps of Number 10 Downing Street, depending on if it's raining.
She might also do it from the press conference room inside Number 10 Downing Street if it's raining quite as heavily as this. The question mark
is whether or not she's going to be putting more details on the table than we saw yesterday.
The brief acceptance speech in front of members the Conservative Party who voted for her, not all of her elected MPs by the way, are as overwhelmingly
in favor of Truss. She pointed out she promised to deliver.
The question is, how will she deliver as the challenges get bigger, not just by the day but by the week?
SOARES: How is she going to deliver?
How is she going to fund this bold plan that she was talking about?
As you were talking, we are seeing a different shot and angle of the media outside 10 Downing Street waiting for her arrival. As she walks in not only
does she have to deal with the task at hand, which is the cost of living crisis that's surging, the media also want to know as well as the country
what her new cabinet will look like.
Will she be able to unify the party?
DOS SANTOS: Well, there's been a lot of speculation about this, Isa. In the run up to the Conservative Party leadership contest, which, by the way,
went on for 50 odd weeks. It was really drawn out. A lot of question marks about who she would nominate to keep.
Essentially, she may decide, although she said, she may want to leverage all the talents of the Conservative Party, she may decide there might not
be enough room for people who could make her life difficult over the next couple of years.
The Conservative Party has had many different leaders over this last decade or so that it's been in power. The objective would be to get things on an
even keel and get on with these challenges, with people supporting the bold initiatives of hers.
One of those is cutting tax. Her main opponent for the keys to Number 10, Rishi Sunak, said this country especially now could not afford to cut
taxes. It should be fiscally prudent with so much debt to pay back.
It has 90 odd percent of debt to GDP ratios. Compare that to the mid 30s before 2008 and 2009 under a Labour governments when, of course, the credit
crunch hit. You can see that the borrowing for this country has soared over the last decade or so.
She says though other countries have higher ratios than that. This country can't afford to borrow more.
What would you like to do with that kind of money, Isa?
Well, obviously she needs to help people with their energy bills. Whoever we see entering the doors of Number 10 Downing Street, by the, way we've
already seen one of our key allies, potentially going to be taking on the health brief in about half an hour ago.
Whoever comes and goes in the next half hour before she's there and thereafter when she nominates the cabinet will be key to giving people an
idea of how serious they are and how much support they might have to try to push through these bold plans. As you pointed out, it could cost at least
about $100 billion or more.
SOARES: Wow. Lots of questions we need answers to in terms of how she's going to fund it. Nina dos Santos is outside 10 Downing Street. Thank you
very much.
[10:35:00]
SOARES: My next guest is a deputy editor of "The Spectator," who analyzes distinctive criticism Truss has attracted, calling it Lizmania.
Freddy Gray said, "Almost everyone is looking at this woman the Tory membership has chosen to lead us all and feeling glum. She is someone
widely seen in political media circles as a lightweight and an embarrassment."
Freddy Gray joins us now.
Freddy, explain.
FREDDY GRAY, "THE SPECTATOR": We've had quite a few new prime ministers in the last few years, as your viewers will have noticed.
(CROSSTALK)
GRAY: That's the one. And I don't recall anything like this sort of gloom about anything in British politics.
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: But It's not about her. It's about the economic climate we're. In
GRAY: The deep economic climate and the sense that this long leadership contest got drawn out and did not put forward any clear answers.
However, I think the low expectations around Liz Truss can be a boon as well as a burden. They are so low now. The only thing she can do is turn
things out. I think we will see this in the speech. She does focus on optimism.
That is lacking in British politics at the moment. It may not last very long. What I mean by Lizmania, I think there could be a very brief, an
attachment and even a fondness for her I think in the next few weeks as she tries to buck up Britain.
SOARES: She did say, one of the earlier house things that you can't drive ourselves into a recession, that sense of optimism. I think that's clear
that we heard from her. She has also put forward, Freddy, a very bold plan -- some might say a bit too bold. And we don't have the details. We're
waiting of course.
Will she be able to deliver on the promises?
The optimism seems to be there, at least in what you're saying.
GRAY: She's going to run finances hot. People talking about $200 billion added to the British deficit over the next years. That is over the next few
years, a serious, serious thing.
But if she can generate growth, if she can justify it by showing the growth being generated, it is possible that she can pluck things out of the fire.
The point is the British patient, if you, think of the British economy as a dying patient, it looks like it needs shock therapy at the moment.
I think Conservative members thought Liz Truss was more likely to deliver that than Rishi Sunak. And that is why she won.
SOARES: In terms of the international viewers who might not know her, some people know her, obviously as the foreign secretary, they are not reading
much into who is Liz Truss.
What kind of character is she?
What kind of personality?
GRAY: She is pretty tough. I think that's where the comparison to Thatcher, which is much overdone --
(CROSSTALK)
GRAY: -- that's where they come in. I think she's somebody who has never been expected to get on but yet always manages to. She's risen without a
trace.
SOARES: Does she adapt to different situations, starting with LibDems?
GRAY: People say that. She's also quite awkward which gives her a woodenness that I think people latch onto and think she's a bad politician.
But if you understand the British heritage, I'm sure you do, people like woodenness, they. Like awkward people.
(CROSSTALK)
GRAY: -- they don't like slick or polished, they did not like that in Rishi Sunak. The Tory members didn't. So I think she has a chance to form a
relationship with the British people in the next few weeks. As Theresa May did. There was Maymania.
(CROSSTALK)
GRAY: But you could see something similar.
SOARES: I don't know (INAUDIBLE) that poll today on 60 percent of people said that there should be a general election before the end of the year.
What do you say to that?
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: This was done before she was announced as the leader of the Conservative Party.
What do you make of that?
GRAY: This is something that hung over May quite quickly. This is not the person the British people wanted. If things continue to go badly, the
clamor for a general election will grow. I don't see any sort of strategic or tactical reason why she would call a general election.
She would probably lose at the moment. She has not had a chance to prove herself and to try and turn things around. Until she does have a proper go
at that, we could be talking another 18 months, I don't think she'll be calling a general election.
SOARES: But the task at hand is absolutely humongous, cost of living crisis, the priority. The other one that Nina was hinting at on 10 Downing
Street, trying to see if she strikes a more conciliatory tone and can unite the Conservative Party.
GRAY: I think the party is slightly more willing to be united than people think.
SOARES: Given the gloomy weather --
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SOARES: -- the Labour Party is trying to get their heels?
GRAY: Giving the gloomy weather and the sort of determination to get past and get away from the last few years of crisis. It's not a good enough
excuse for a government. But you do have to count in the fact that the pandemic scrambled everything and a lot of these crises are connected to
the pandemic.
[10:40:00]
GRAY: I think the party feels it's had quite a rough time having won this mandate. It then got totally submerged by COVID. It distracted from
everything else.
Now people say, what have the Tories done in the last decade?
That hurts Tories. I think they want to try and prove. It
(CROSSTALK)
SOARES: -- they've got two years or so. Left very quickly, when we hear from Liz Truss in less than an hour or so, what do you think she ought to
say?
GRAY: I think the message will be one of optimism. Deliver, deliver, deliver will be the theme. Deliver quite what is always the mystery --
SOARES: And how.
GRAY: -- and how. I think you will get the energy crisis addressed. That is the most pressing concern. I don't think she will get on to what she can
do about the NHS. That's going to be one of the big things in the winter, what we do about Britain's health service. It is in real crisis and getting
worse all the time.
SOARES: There's a huge concern. Freddy, great to have you, thank you very much.
GRAY: Thank you. Sorry it's so gloomy.
SOARES: The weather has cheered up at least.
Coming up right here on CONNECT THE WORLD, a football star known for his superhero celebrations will be wearing a mask for a whole different reason.
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