(FreedomBeacon.com)- The longtime friend and ally of incoming UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, Dr. Thérèse Coffey, has been chosen as her first official cabinet member for the new administration and will serve as her health minister and deputy prime minister.
The fact that Coffey, a steadfast ally and friend of Truss, was chosen as the first minister and was given the health portfolio is interpreted in Westminster as a signal that Truss views the state health service, which is gravely struggling two years after coronavirus lockdowns despite significant cash infusions since, as a top priority for the next two years.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, appeared to put some of his aides and himself to sleep during a meeting.
The 69-year-old Russian president appears to nod asleep during a state council discussion about promoting tourism in the country.
This comes after allegations that during his journey to Russia’s far east, where he attended the significant Vostok military games, Putin “complained to physicians about exhaustion and shortness of breath.”
Putin’s representatives may be seen in video from the state council meeting struggling to keep their eyes open while they listened to talks.
But when Putin hauled them over seven time zones to attend, one after another seemed to nod asleep at the gathering on Russky island near the city of Vladivostok in Russia’s far east.
Video showing Putin appearing to nod off during the meeting and accusations that he has complained to physicians about weariness and shortness of breath casts new doubt on his health.
According to the Telegram channel General SVR, which has long maintained that Putin is dealing with significant health concerns, a body double was even on standby if Putin could not attend the meeting.
The station reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “bags” under his eyes and puffiness on his cheeks before the flight to Kamchatka. Putin also reportedly had increasing kidney ailments.
The channel said there was no discernible improvement despite the use of medications. Putin complained to doctors in Kamchatka about being exhausted and having trouble breathing. The president chose to take part in the pre-arranged festivities, nevertheless.
“A President doppelgänger is ready to help,”
In Russia, concerns about Putin’s health have been rife for some time. Some think he has Parkinson’s disease or cancer, and he frequently vanishes for days amid rumors that he is having surgery.
As a result of the rumors’ popularity, the Kremlin was compelled to refute them publicly. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Putin, insisted that the Russian president was in “great health” and that any rumors to the contrary were “total nonsense.”
But since he began his brutal invasion of Ukraine, rumors have intensified since he gives the impression that he is not entirely in control of h
Coffey, renowned for her love of cigars, and her new boss, Liz Truss, both advocated against Brexit during the 2016 referendum. Coffey, unlike Truss, has not made a big deal about changing her mind about Brexit even though she has helped the government implement the Brexit that the British people voted for since.
Being a Catholic, Coffey also holds strong anti-abortion beliefs that many in the liberal Westminster neighborhood may find strange. She has also previously voted against same-sex marriage.
When she was six years old, Therese Coffey moved from Lancashire to Liverpool.
Despite the city’s long history of supporting Labour, she grew up with two father teachers and a brief stint as a Conservative MP.
She was motivated to enter politics by her sister Clare, who has been a secretary in her parliamentary office since 2015 after becoming active in the neighborhood Conservatives herself.
She entered Oxford after attending two private schools and declared herself a “young Tory.”
She continued to complete a Ph.D. in chemistry at University College London, which she didn’t pursue further in her career.
Her initial positions were in finance, including those of finance manager and director at the BBC and Mars Drinks UK, respectively.
She initially tried entering politics by standing for South East England in the European Parliament elections in 2004 despite believing she would “never be good enough to be an MP.”
Despite the Conservatives winning four seats, Ms. Coffey was ranked seventh on the list.
In 2009, she gave it another shot and came up just one short on the Tory list after the party won four more seats.
She ran for office in Wrexham, North Wales, in the 2005 General Election; however, she finished third.
The current health secretary had an ear infection in 2018 and was hospitalized with possibly lethal meningitis “within a few days.”
She spent a month in the hospital due to having to relearn some of her fundamental skills, like how to say slippers.
