Liz Truss is just ending her first full week as prime minister and what an extremely tricky challenge she has had to face. Rather than have a short honeymoon period where she could make herself better known she has had to stand aside and make supporting the new monarch her first priority.

She had one day with her original plan since then she has been totally overtaken by events.

I don’t know what she had in mind for her first couple of weeks in office but my guess is that there would have been a number of set piece events up and down the country where she could introduce herself to the nation. That’s all had to be scrapped.

She’s barely getting any coverage for herself and everything is seen in the context of the tragic death a week ago of the Queen and planning for the funeral. At least she will see many world leaders on Monday.

Once the Queen is buried next Monday Liz will have to have a very different approach and acknowledge that she still had a massive job reaching out to the nation as a whole.

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Mike Smithson

Kimbalu