great Britain is experiencing a political crisis due to resignation Liz Truss as Prime Minister, leaving the British government headless and raising questions about who will succeed him. The resignation was announced this morning, in conjunction with the opening of the World Summit of Mayors being held in Buenos Aires C40.

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, heard the news in the center of the room. At that time, I was sitting in the front row, listening to the words of welcome from Horacio Rodriguez Larretawho opened the event as the host.

Nearly seven minutes had passed since the speech of the head of the Government of Buenos Aires began when BBC disseminate information. In just a minute and a half, Truss announced his retirement. The speech was nearly as short as his reign, which lasted 45 days and became the shortest term in British political history.

At that moment, an adviser to Khan showed him the screen of his cell phone with news. The Labor politician raised his eyebrows, exchanged brief words with his team and continued to listen to Rodríguez Larreta. Minutes later, host Vanessa Houc introduced Khan as the president of C40 and invited him on stage to deliver his opening speech.

“You know that ever since this summit started, I heard that my main opponent, the Conservative Prime Minister, has resigned,” Khan began his speech with great hysterics. The audience clapped and laughed mixed with the whispers of people who didn’t fully understand what was happening.

“If I had known that holding this summit would lead to the resignation of the prime minister, I would have arranged it earlier. It is a pleasure, as you will realize”, the mayor of London immediately ironed out. The whole auditorium burst into laughter and the young people from the environmental organization friday-for-future they clapped for him.

At the end of the opening remarks, Rodríguez Larreta and Khan went to the conference room to exchange ideas with the press present at the event attended by infobae. “You can’t ask political questions or about Truss’ resignation, only questions about C40,” a collaborator from the global events organization demanded in English.

During the press conference, the British mayor made no reference to the matter. “The agenda is very busy,” a spokesman for the mayor of London responded to this media, at the request of a meeting with Khan, who has a busy schedule of meetings and activities within the framework of the C40. Yesterday he was with Kristy Hayes, the British ambassador to Argentina, and also held non-stop bilateral meetings with colleagues from other cities around the world.

Khan is expected to be in Buenos Aires until the end of the summit, on Friday afternoon. However, it is possible that he could leave early because of the political crisis in his country.

Meanwhile, this afternoon Rodríguez Larreta is planning a bilateral meeting with Khan. Between the diplomatic and environmental agenda, the British political situation will emerge and the possibility – or necessity – that the Londoner will have to return early. No confirmation yet.

The political crisis in Britain has rocked the country and Khan is a prominent leader in the Labor Party – the opposition to the current Speakers Party government -.

In this regard, Khan gave an interview from the C40 Convention Center to CNN and refers to Truss leaving. It was midday, a few minutes after the press conference. “I was shocked and appalled,” the mayor replied, adding: “Just weeks after Liz became UK leader and prime minister, we experienced turmoil, which in recent days and weeks saw her resign.

In Rodríguez Larreta’s circle they are concerned about the situation. Khan is the most relevant mayor of the Summit, both because of London’s international weight and because of him at the moment president C40. To that end, the Britons were present at the opening of the summit together with the heads of Government of Buenos Aires and it is hoped that they will preside over the joint closing ceremony tomorrow afternoon.

When asked about his position on the political crisis in Britain, Khan stated that it meant the possibility of changing course: “What we need is Liz Truss, or whoever the conservatives choose to be the next leader, give the British public a chance to make a fresh start. ”

Under Britain’s parliamentary system of government, when a Prime Minister resigns, Parliament must meet and confer to try to form a government again. In parliamentarism, the prime minister is a member of the House of Commons, who is usually the leader of the majority party.

And then the mayor of London called for an election. “Keir Starmer – the leader of the Labor Party – is absolutely right. What we don’t want is another internal contest for conservative leadership”, he weighed and condemned: “We are a laughing stock”.

It must be remembered that Liz Truss took office on September 6, after the resignation Boris Johnson. On September 23, the prime minister implemented an economic program that created tension in the country. In turn, this week two ministers linked to his cabinet resigned, weakening him and keeping his continuity under control. A day later, the Prime Minister announced his resignation from Downing Street. He announced that he would remain in office until Parliament could appoint a successor.

“This summit reflects three values ​​that I strongly believe in. The first is dialogue and the search for consensus: 121 mayors from all over the world and from Argentine cities come together to work on the same agenda, despite the fact that we have different origins, we come from countries and cities with different socioeconomic realities. , and We have diverse political ideologies. The second value of this summit is the struggle for lasting change, which is sustained through generations. Now, that dialogue and that consensus to seek lasting change has a very specific starting point, which is truth. Truth is the third value of this summit and that is what we Argentines need most right now”, said Rodríguez Larreta in his opening speech.

Meanwhile, Sadiq Khan assured: “Buenos Aires’ international reputation is strengthened by this summit along with its vision to become a leading city in change. climate.” He also celebrated the commitment of participating cities to promote the creation of green jobs, one of his government’s priorities: “Investing in the jobs and skills of tomorrow will help us tackle inequality as we face the climate crisis. I am proud to unite in action with others. My Mayor C40 to encourage the creation of 50 million good green jobs by the end of this decade. London will lead by example as we double the size of our green economy and build affordable green jobs in the communities that need it most. There is no time to lose The best time to act on a good green job was yesterday, the next best time is today.” khan.

Rodríguez Larreta and Khan promote the adherence of cities to “Buenos Aires Consensus”, with a view to green job creation, climate finance goals and climate finance initiatives from key financial institutions in the region and concrete commitments from the private sector on the climate agenda.

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