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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Richard Partington Economics correspondent

Kwasi Kwarteng: free marketeer and Truss’s ideological soulmate becomes chancellor

Kwasi Kwarteng
Kwasi Kwarteng entered parliament at the same time as Liz Truss and the pair were among the co-authors of Britannia Unchained, a collection of essays advocating a small-state UK. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA

During his stint as business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng clashed with Rishi Sunak over how best to oversee the UK economy. This week, he walks into the office of chancellor once held by his former rival, taking charge at the Treasury under his longstanding political and ideological ally Liz Truss as the most powerful black man in British politics.

As a loyal supporter of Truss – the pair entered parliament together in 2010 – Kwarteng is likely to have a much smoother relationship with his Downing Street colleague than Boris Johnson endured with Sunak. The two are already neighbours after Kwarteng moved to the same Greenwich street as Truss earlier this year.

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