Britain's new prime minister Liz Truss. File Picture
Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his congratulations to Britain’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss as she starts her first day in office on Wednesday.
The former Foreign Secretary officially took over from Boris Johnson when she met with Queen Elizabeth in Balmoral, Scotland on Tuesday.
And, as Truss begins her reign in her bid to deal with tax cuts, the rising energy costs and cost of living, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that South Africa and the UK have historically enjoyed a strong and friendly relationship and expressed his confidence it will continue to grow from strength to strength.
“Bilateral cooperation between South Africa and the United Kingdom covers a range of areas including, inter alia, trade and investment, science and innovation, health, energy, and the environment,” read the statement.
“South Africa and the United Kingdom collaborate within the multilateral context to address global challenges such as peace and security, underdevelopment, poverty, economic growth, climate change and prevent future pandemics,” it said.
Ramaphosa added that he looks forward to working with Truss to further strengthen the bonds of cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II has already approved the ministerial appointments in the new government led by Truss.
Sputnik News reported that Nadhim Zahawi was appointed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and Minister for Equalities; Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and Chris Heaton-Harris as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, in her address to the nation, Truss pledged to ride out the storm of the economic crisis and that she will take immediate action to tackle the challenges of a looming recession and rising costs.
“I am confident that together we can ride out the storm. We can rebuild our economy, and we can become the modern brilliant Britain that I know we can be,” Truss said outside her new Downing Street home and office in London.
She added that her top three priorities are the soaring energy costs, the tax cuts to boost the economy as well as the state-run National Health Service.
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