Kwasi Kwarteng

2022 - 9 - 7

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Image courtesy of "Rappler"

New finance minister Kwarteng gives UK PM Truss key ally in ... (Rappler)

Newly appointed British Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng backs Prime Minister Liz Truss' low tax, free market approach to the economy.

“I actually think that it’s not that much of a big deal,” he said after being appointed as the first Black Conservative front-bench minister. However, in government he has been more pragmatic. “Kwasi Kwarteng clearly has been a big part of Team Truss…. [inherits an economy in crisis](https://www.rappler.com/business/explainer-prime-minister-liz-truss-inherits-britain-economy-heading-recession/). CF Industries halted operations again last month. He has also overseen the introduction of the National Security and Investment Act that has seen the government intervene in a couple of Chinese-backed takeover deals. [deepening cost-of-living crisis](https://www.rappler.com/business/cash-strapped-britons-give-up-pets-living-costs-soar-united-kingdom/), and that there will need to be some fiscal loosening to [help people through the winter](https://www.rappler.com/business/britain-pubs-brace-mass-closures-energy-costs-soar-2022/). A committed Brexit supporter, Kwarteng has endeared himself to the right of the party, making a name for himself with his views in favor of lower taxes, a smaller state, and deregulation in his book Britannia Unchained, co-authored with Truss and other lawmakers. Britain’s first Black chancellor, Kwarteng is the son of Ghanaian immigrants and scored a so-called “double-first” at Cambridge University in Classics and History, also attending Harvard University in the United States. [economy](https://www.rappler.com/business/revised-gross-domestic-product-united-kingdom-january-december-2020/), a meeting of minds that could signal a cordial relationship at the heart of government. “The energy and business background should stand him, in terms of understanding the real economy, in quite good stead…what he’s not done is a big public services job or a big spending job.” It is forecast to [go into a long recession](https://www.rappler.com/business/bank-of-england-monetary-policy-gdp-inflation-forecasts-august-2022/) later this year, with [inflation at a 40-year high](https://www.rappler.com/business/inflation-rate-united-kingdom-july-2022/) and limits on options for boosting growth.

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Image courtesy of "International Investment"

Kwasi Kwarteng appointed chancellor as Liz Truss vows to 'rebuild ... (International Investment)

Kwasi Kwarteng has been appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer as Liz Truss takes on the mantle of prime minister.

Following the results of the Conservative party election revealed on Monday (5 September), Truss has been assembling a cabinet in order to address the magnitude of problems facing the nation. - Members-only access to analysis via our exclusive industry polls - Members-only access to the Editor’s weekly news roundup newsletter

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Kwasi Kwarteng faces 'tricky balancing act' as UK chancellor (International Adviser)

Cabinet reshuffle also sees Chloe Smith become secretary of state for the DWP.

“The best advice I ever received on becoming a minister was to identify a small number of big priorities and concentrate on these. Progress in relation to pensions has been hampered by the political backdrop such as Brexit, Tory infighting and the pandemic. “Pensions by their very nature are long-term and complicated and Smith will need time in the role to ensure that any changes in policy are carefully planned and crucially don’t create unintended consequences down the road. What’s more, while Kwarteng and Truss claim tax cuts will stimulate growth, they are likely to face criticism if they are not seen to be doing enough to help the poorest in the country. “Tax will be a hot topic in the coming weeks as Truss made a number of substantial promises during her leadership campaign. He was previously secretary of state at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

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Kwasi Kwarteng: The British-born Ghanaian who is now UK's first ... (GhanaWeb)

British-born Ghanaian, Kwasi Kwarteng, was named as the new UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (i.e. Finance Minister) yesterday September 6 by new UK Prime ...

He was elected as MP for Spelthorne in Surrey and entered Parliament the same time as future colleagues Liz Truss, Priti Patel and Sajid Javid,” BBC reports. “He made his first attempt to become an MP in 2005. He stood as the Conservative candidate for Brent East at the general election, but came third. Kwasi Kwarteng’s official website details that he studied Classics and History at Cambridge University, and then attended Harvard University on a Kennedy Scholarship. He then attended the famous Eton college — a production line for British leaders including Boris Johnson and David Cameron. Finance Minister) yesterday September 6 by new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, in a historical feat.

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New UK Prime Minister Selects Former Business & Energy Head ... (Coinspeaker)

Liz Truss of the UK has set about choosing her new cabinet and has tapped “ideological ally” Kwasi Kwarteng as Finance Minister.

Prior to once helming the UK’s business and energy sector, Kwarteng also held a junior role in the department. Furthermore, this also sharply contrasts the prevalent rift between former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his finance minister Rishi Sunak. In a report from June last year, the department identified blockchain systems as a key component in transforming the economy. Under Truss’ new administration, Kwarteng, as Finance Minister, is expected to tackle the economic constraints with her low tax, free market approach. Newly-elected UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has appointed business, energy, and industrial strategy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng as Britain’s new Finance Minister. The new minister and ideological ally of Truss suggested that the new UK government could provisionally afford to borrow more.

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Who is Kwasi Kwarteng, The New Chancellor who has been unfraid ... (Modern Ghana)

But there was little secret made of who was going to get the top Treasury job under Prime Minister Liz Truss – her long-time friend and political ally Kwasi ...

Mr Kwarteng was a passionate advocate for leaving the EU and joined the campaign. But it was his backing for Boris Johnson to become leader of the Conservative Party that ensured his promotion to business minister in 2019, and then to secretary of state for the department in January 2021. However, being an MP did not stop his other pursuits, and in 2011 he had three books published in the space of a month – including a book on the legacy of the British Empire, “Ghosts of Empire”. He also made the Conservative list of candidates for the London Assembly in 2008, but didn’t manage to secure a place – with the Tories only taking three seats and him placing in sixth. He went on to get a first class degree in classics and history at Trinity College, as well as being a member of its winning University Challenge team – although dropping an F-bomb during the show got him in a little hot water and on the front-page of The Sun. He was a high achiever, being awarded the Harrow History Prize in 1988 – a prize George Orwell once missed out on – and soon he headed to Eton College as a King’s Scholar, meaning he was awarded a scholarship due to his impressive exam results.

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Long-time Truss ally Kwasi Kwarteng faces tricky balancing act in ... (IFA Magazine)

Tax will be a hot topic in the coming weeks as Truss made a number of substantial promises during her leadership campaign. Truss claimed she would lower ...

Should an emergency budget be called, all eyes will be on the new Chancellor to see just how he fares under the pressure. What’s more, while Kwarteng and Truss claim tax cuts will stimulate growth, they are likely to face criticism if they are not seen to be doing enough to help the poorest in the country. As such, questions will immediately be asked as to how and when help will come and, ultimately, how it will be paid for.

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Image courtesy of "GOV.UK"

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng sets out economic priorities in first ... (GOV.UK)

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng met market leaders this morning (Wednesday) to set out the government's new, pro-growth economic approach.

Mr Kwarteng stressed that the government will support the economy to grow. The Chancellor was clear this will mean necessary higher borrowing in the short-term whilst ensuring monetary stability and fiscal discipline over the medium term. Kwasi Kwarteng began by acknowledging the extraordinary challenges that families and businesses across the UK are facing this Winter, exacerbated by Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.

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'The honour of a lifetime' - Kwasi Kwarteng reacts to appointment as ... (GhanaWeb)

The United Kingdom's new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, has reacted to his appointment by the incoming Prime Minister, Liz Truss.

This evening, we’ve been finalising our package of urgent support to help with energy bills, with an announcement this week," Kwarteng posted on Twitter hours after his appointment was announced. The honour of a lifetime to be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by our new Prime Minister,— Kwasi Kwarteng (@KwasiKwarteng) "The honour of a lifetime to be appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by our new Prime Minister, Liz Truss.

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Who is Kwasi Kwarteng? UK's new chancellor tasked with tackling ... (ITV News)

Kwarteng, 47, inherits an economy expected to plunge into deep recession as inflation soars at a time of ballooning debt and soaring government borrowing ...

He is likely to want to shake up the Treasury, given reports of his annoyance at its tendency to over-complicate measures, but has rowed back on speculation he will look to end the independence of the Bank of England. Liz Truss is leaving Mr Kwarteng with a challenging task as experts raise concerns over the lack of any headroom in the public finances to fund her plans. Writing recently in the Financial Times, Mr Kwarteng said he was relaxed about increasing the UK’s sky-high levels of borrowing to help the economy weather the crisis. Mr Kwarteng also attended Harvard University on a Kennedy Scholarship before going on to earn a PhD in economic history from the University of Cambridge in 2000. He began his early career as a journalist and wrote for the Daily Telegraph as well as being a published author including a book about the legacy of the British Empire. He was a member of the winning University Challenge team on the BBC in 1995.

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Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

Kwarteng Promises 'Big Bang 2' Reforms to Boost City of London (Bloomberg)

Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK's new chancellor of the exchequer, said the government will pursue sweeping financial reforms to unleash growth and competitiveness ...

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Image courtesy of "FE News"

Kwasi Kwarteng must support colleges with soaring energy bills (FE News)

A letter, signed by 189 college leaders, and the Association of Colleges chief executive David Hughes, has been sent to the new occupant of 11 Downing Street ...

Cutting VAT on skills and paying college staff better will deliver the economic growth the new PM has promised.” Supporting colleges must be at the top of his priority list. Unlike consumers, educational establishments including colleges are not protected by an energy price cap, meaning some colleges are now facing bills four-times higher than they were used to paying. Colleges are struggling to recruit and retain staff due to teachers being able to earn more in industry, or schools where average pay is £9,000 a year higher. Colleges in England operate from 4,500 buildings across 800 sites. In recent years, energy has cost the FE sector around £130 million annually.

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British-born Ghanaian, Kwasi Kwarteng appointed UK's first black ... (Africanews English)

"There's a lot of pressure on Kwasi Kwarteng," as the political longevity of new Prime Minister Liz Truss will be intimately tied to her performance, ...

They will "put money back into people's pockets" and businesses to revive an economy on the brink of recession, he said in an op-ed in the Financial Times on Monday. Given his background in the Conservative Party, Mr. The son of Ghanaian immigrants who came to the U.K. Kwarteng will first have to implement the tax cuts promised by Liz Truss. The enthusiastic Brexit supporter and early backer of Ms. A polyglot - he reportedly dares to write poetry in Latin - and a history and music buff, the new Chancellor is little known to the British public: fewer than one in two had heard of him before his appointment, according to YouGov.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Kwasi Kwarteng assures City of support for Bank of England ... (The Guardian)

New chancellor promises City bosses 'radical' plan for economic growth and smooths over Truss's threat to review Bank's remit.

He added: “We need to be decisive and do things differently. “The prime minister and I are committed to taking decisive action to help the British people now, while pursuing an unashamedly pro-growth agenda.” However, Kwarteng assured them that the government was committed to reducing debt – or at least keeping it on what the Treasury said was a “downward path”.

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Who is Kwasi Kwarteng? What his newspaper column as a 22-year ... (Telegraph.co.uk)

The Eton, Cambridge and Harvard alumnus, now 47 and the new Chancellor, first made his name with a column in The Telegraph.

It showed that Britain had forgotten its former global connections, resulting in a “parochialism coupled with an ignorance of British history” which would result, he warned, “in the eventual dissolution [of the UK]”. However, in his columns, he turned his fire on proponents of multiculturalism and political correctness. They offered value of a sort as “a place for reflective thought, like the monasteries of the Middle Ages,” but were only really popular as a way of proving one’s smarts. Nevertheless, Mr Kwarteng was not a defender of high culture himself. is the ideal training ground for military life”. And yet they were retained and seemed to think, like some children at school, that their crimes would never be discovered. Kwarteng’s scepticism of higher education is not the only position that Tory MPs might consider ahead of their time. In today’s climate, it’s no use telling an employer that one is eminently qualified for a job without some proof, some scrap of paper which conveys a magical authority.” “Men who were clearly an embarrassment to the party should have been sacked. On at least one issue, however, Mr Kwarteng has clearly come to accept the views of the experts. As [Mr Kwarteng](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/08/20/kwasi-kwarteng-rein-green-profits-energy-price-cap-set-soar/), universities were not just a waste of time for those hoping to make lots of money but “a trick of the mind”.

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Image courtesy of "Financial Times"

New UK chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng promises 'Big Bang 2.0' for City ... (Financial Times)

Promise of post-Brexit overhaul of regulation comes as some executives worry about reform of EU laws going too far.

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Image courtesy of "Daily Express"

Kwasi Kwarteng's awkward moment on University Challenge as ... (Daily Express)

KWASI KWARTENG swore twice when being quizzed by Jeremy Paxman on University Challenge back in 1995, a moment that even made it into the newspapers.

He comes in as Chancellor at a time when the UK faces similar economic crises. Entering the world of work, Mr Kwarteng wrote columns for the Telegraph and worked as a financial analyst in the City of London. Not to be discouraged, Mr Kwarteng and his teammates from Trinity College Cambridge went on to be crowned champions of University Challenge in 1995. During his time at Cambridge, Mr Kwarteng had his first moment in the limelight when he appeared on University Challenge. Mr Kwarteng's panicked swearing even made headlines in the press, with The Sun publishing a report headlined "Rudiversity Challenge". Like most politicians, Mr Kwarteng went on to attend Eton College before studying classics and history at the University of Cambridge.

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Who is the new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng? 'Geeky', 'intensely ... (Evening Standard)

Liz Truss' new Harvard-educated right-hand man is her long-time ally and has a reputation for confidence (and swearing). Katie Strick charts the rise of the ...

Kwarteng has since been in a relationship with City lawyer Harriet Edwards, 36, and though friends describe him as “intensely private”, the facts paint a picture of a high-flying couple who are well matched. Kwarteng has got into his fair share of hot water in the past. He’s “essentially an academic; he is enthusiastic and bombastic, and barely draws breath,” says diarist Sasha Swire, wife of the former MP Hugo Swire. But it was his support of Boris Johnson for PM that really triggered his rise to the top. Like he did at Cambridge, Kwarteng made an impact from the start, making a “controversial” debut speech. “In Kwarteng’s world, if Kwarteng looks ridiculous, there must be something wrong with the world, not him.” Even by this point his intellect stood out: the teachers reported “[struggled] to keep up with him” when they introduced Italian to the curriculum, and at the age of 13 he won the Harrow History Prize, an award acclaimed writer George Orwell once missed out on. He went on to win medals in Latin and Greek poetry competitions and later won a Kennedy scholarship to study at Harvard. Ministers who’ve worked with him say the Harvard-educated Surrey MP “says it like he sees it” and is known for having the letters MSH scrawled on the whiteboard in his Whitehall Office. The pair entered parliament together in 2010, have been called “ideological soulmates” for their views on the free-market right (they were among co-authors of essay collection Britannia Unchained, advocating a small-state UK), and they’re not just new neighbours in Downing Street, but in Since accepting the job last night, Kwarteng has quickly been making headlines for becoming Britain’s first black Chancellor, but insiders are already warning commentators not to make a big deal of the colour of his skin. Many say Kwarteng’s personal mantra speaks to his confident, powerhouse approach to politics — and it’ll probably be needed in these first few weeks of the job.

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Image courtesy of "Sky News"

New chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng reaffirms Bank of England ... (Sky News)

During the Conservative leadership race, Liz Truss, now the new prime minister, had said the government should set a "clear direction of travel" for ...

"The chancellor confirmed that over the medium-term, the government is committed to seeing debt falling." [Sterling plunges to lowest level against the US dollar since 1985](https://news.sky.com/story/sterling-plunges-to-lowest-level-against-the-us-dollar-since-1985-12692126) [Bank of England governor hails prospect of 'important' energy bill clarity in inflation fight](https://news.sky.com/story/bank-of-england-governor-welcomes-prospect-of-clear-policy-stance-on-tackling-energy-bills-12691838) The Treasury said the pair had agreed that getting inflation under control - one of the BoE's main tasks - is "central to tackling cost of living challenges". Mr Kwarteng also said on Wednesday that he and Mr Bailey will meet regularly - initially twice a week - to coordinate as they try to pull the UK out of its economic hole. During the Conservative leadership race, Ms Truss said the government should set a "clear direction of travel" for monetary policy, although she later appeared to step back from this stance. During the Conservative leadership race, Liz Truss, now the new prime minister, had said the government should set a "clear direction of travel" for monetary policy.

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Kwasi Kwarteng appointed Britain's first black Finance Minister (Ghana Business News)

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has appointed Mr Kwasi Kwarteng, an ideological ally, as Britain's new Finance Minister, known in Britain as Chancellor of ...

“Kwasi Kwarteng clearly has been a big part of Team Truss… He has also overseen the introduction of the National Security and Investment Act that has seen the government intervene in a couple of Chinese-backed takeover deals. A committed Brexit supporter, Kwarteng has endeared himself to the right of the party, making a name for himself with his views in favour of lower taxes, a smaller state and deregulation in his book “Britannia Unchained,” co-authored by Truss and other lawmakers.

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