As the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, settles into 10 Downing St this week, there are no shortage of important issues calling for her immediate attention.
The biggest by far is the cost-of-living crisis that threatens to engulf the country.
Families are rightly worrying about how they are going to pay crippling gas and electricity bills coming later this year. Despite the Tories taking months to sort out their leadership decision, little has been mentioned about how they are going to help people make ends meet through Autumn and Winter.
Labour has already confirmed fully costed, £29billion, emergency proposals to freeze energy prices. Will Truss’ first U-turn be the reversal of her opposition to what she demeaningly calls “handouts” and her adoption of a similar plan?
Businesses, large & small, as well as public services such as schools and hospitals will also have to cope with increased energy costs and out of control inflation. So far there has been no sign from the UK Government of any interest in providing support for them. If that doesn’t change soon, thousands of livelihoods will be lost, damaging the very fabric of our local communities and our economy.
Other pressing matters will include how to prevent the expected NHS crisis in England, finding a way through the Northern Ireland Protocol difficulties and dealing with our Net Zero by 2050 climate change commitments whilst securing our energy supply for the long term.
With polling suggesting that voters become less impressed with her, the more they see of her, Liz Truss has a very short window to set out her stall and convince the British public that, as the fourth Tory Prime Minister in twelve years, she can really make a difference.
At the moment, there are far more questions than answers.