England’s cryptocurrency and blockchain plans are likely to continue despite a leadership change.

The second week of September 2022 saw several leadership changes in the UK. Liz Truss replaced Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II died and was succeeded by King Charles III. In addition, Kwasi Kwarteng was elected Chancellor of the Exchequer (or Minister of Finance) of England.

Although these changes could affect the UK’s plans for crypto, all leading companies seem committed to pushing the technology forward. So they are involved.

On September 6, Liz Truss was appointed Prime Minister of England. Truss previously held various offices, including Secretary of State and Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Truss was not elected by general election. Instead, Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister in July after several controversies. As a member of the Conservative Party of England, Truss won the support of the elected Parliament and automatically succeeded Johnson that month.

Truss has commented on cryptocurrencies in the past. In 2018, she issued a statement advocating for more permissive crypto regulation. the writing The UK “should welcome cryptocurrencies in a way that doesn’t limit their potential.”

Later, during a debate in 2020, Truss said the UK wanted to achieve “a world-leading data and digital deal” that was partly about blockchain.

Truss’ exact plans for cryptocurrency aren’t clear, but her involvement in the English economy means she’ll likely be involved with crypto in some way.

Truss’ office also announced on September 6 that former Business and Energy Minister Kwasi Kwarteng would become England’s finance minister.

Kwarteng will indirectly succeed Rishi Sunak, who resigned in July and was notable for his intense pro-crypto stance. Earlier this year, Sunak announced various plans to turn the UK into a global crypto hub. In particular, he outlined plans for the Royal Mint to issue a non-fungible token (NFT) and introduce clearer regulations.

Kwarteng also succeeds Nadhim Zahawi, who served as England’s finance minister in the months following Sunak’s resignation. Zahawi reiterated Sunak’s goals in an early speech, noting that the Financial Services and Markets Act “[reinforce] The UK’s position as a leading hub for technology as we adopt crypto securely.”

Compared to his predecessors, Kwarteng has said very little about cryptocurrency. Although his position is unclear, he will likely succeed Truss as a member of their party.

Queen Elizabeth II’s death was reported on September 8th.

Despite not being very involved in cryptocurrency, the Queen admitted that she received a donated copy of a blockchain journal in 2020. The Queen’s Secretariat said she “much appreciated”. [the] thoughtful gesture.”

The Queen was succeeded by King Charles III, who earlier commented on bitcoin, blockchain and cryptocurrency. In 2019, he called the technology a “very interesting development” after a person asked him about it.

After the Queen’s death, various cryptocurrency “meme coins” were created with names and ticker symbols related to Queen Elizabeth II.

These coins include Save the Queen, God Save the Queen, and Long Live the Queen. Some of the coins are related to Dogecoin and Shiba Inu tokens with names like “Queen Elizabeth Inu”, “Queen Inu II” and “QueenDoge”. It is not clear whether any of these tokens will achieve lasting value. It’s also not clear if these tokens are perceived as legitimate commemorations or opportunistic cash grabs.

In an unrelated incident, the Queen’s Office became the target of fraud in 2019 when scammers posed as Buckingham Palace officials to solicit crypto donations.

Despite a leadership change and a lack of definitive statements from the new UK leadership, the country appears to be moving forward with its crypto goals.

Other members of the UK Government have also spoken out on these matters. During a crypto debate in Westminster on Sept. 7, the Treasury’s Business Secretary Richard Fuller said the UK aims to “become the country of choice for those looking to create, innovate and build in the crypto space.” “.

He added that England aims to attract investment, create jobs, collect taxes and create “groundbreaking” new cryptocurrency products and services.

In short, it appears that the UK will continue to engage with crypto as it has up until now, embracing new technologies while also regulating the industry.