{"id":140702,"date":"2022-09-20T12:59:04","date_gmt":"2022-09-20T11:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=140702"},"modified":"2022-09-20T14:31:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-20T13:31:30","slug":"international-perspectives-of-the-prime-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/international-perspectives-of-the-prime-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"International Perspectives of the new Prime Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the six weeks running up to the Conservative leadership election, world leaders and international new outlets provided a heightened commentary on the state of UK politics. While optimism towards Liz Truss\u2019s election differs greatly across borders, headlines mentioning the <\/strong>\u2018long list of challenges\u2019<\/strong><\/a> ahead of her were widely agreed upon. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout the race, the Vuelio Insights team monitored all local and national coverage across Europe (excl. UK), North America, Australia and New Zealand to explore the overarching international perspective of the British political system. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Following Truss\u2019s victory on 6 September, many political figures around the world rushed to offer their congratulatory messages of hope and solidarity. Terms like \u2018strategic partnership\u2019<\/a> and \u2018friendship\u2019<\/a> were shared across Italy, Israel, Romania and the Netherlands, while Lithuania<\/a> and Ukraine<\/a> expressed their gratitude for Boris Johnson\u2019s support against Russian aggression \u2014 in hopes it will continue with the new PM.<\/p>\n

Having been repeatedly referred to as a former \u2018anti-monarchist\u2019<\/a> in almost 3,000 articles of the studied regions, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II put added pressure on Truss\u2019s election. The majority of coverage \u2014 which came from the US, France and Canada \u2014 reported on Truss\u2019s support and attendance<\/a> to the memorial service. However, an article first published by Agence France-Presse that confirmed she would not \u2018accompany\u2019<\/a> King Charles III\u2019s tour of the nations due to \u2018ongoing criticism\u2019<\/a> was syndicated 218 times by region European and North American media outlets.<\/p>\n

Euroscepticism and demands for respect <\/strong><\/p>\n

While local and regional coverage within each region has reported positive messages from world leaders, international news sources have favoured the growing EU concerns around Brexit and the NI protocol. Thomas Gift, founding director of University College London’s Centre on US Politics, told Newsweek <\/a>that Truss \u2018is more of a Eurosceptic than Rishi Sunak,\u2019 meaning she is less in favour of co-operation with the EU.<\/p>\n

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and VP Maros Sefcovics both congratulated Truss, while emphasising the \u2018great strategic importance<\/a>\u2019 of a \u2018constructive\u2019 and \u2018positive\u2019<\/a> relationship between London and Brussels. This will depend upon \u2018full respect<\/a>\u2018 of the NI protocol, Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Co-operation Agreement. Both members of the EU were quoted in 386 national articles across Europe and North America.<\/p>\n

In light of this condition, Jacinda Arden used the election to recognise the UK\u2019s \u2018exceptionally strong\u2019<\/a> relationship with New Zealand, acknowledging Truss\u2019s \u2018staunch support\u2019<\/a> of the UK’s tilt to the Indo-Pacific and Free Trade Agreement. This statement reached online and broadcast media across Australia, New Zealand and Canada 382 times over the six-week race.<\/p>\n

In North America, approximately 1,682 US news sources picked up on growing tensions between the EU and Liz Truss over this time, with a key focus on how this could affect the Biden administration. While Biden\u2019s hopes to ‘deepen’<\/a> the \u2018special relationship\u2019 was shared in 31% of this coverage, it was also coupled with Truss\u2019s controversial comment that the UK US relationship is \u2018special but not exclusive\u2019<\/a>, comparing approval of the US to a \u2018beauty parade\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Conservative leadership race: volume and sentiment <\/strong><\/p>\n