Rishi Sunak becomes Third British Prime Minister of the year. Know everything from top to bottom.
Rishi Sunak, Britain’s certainly third prime minister of this year and the first person of the color to lead the former most imperial power, took office on Tuesday, vowing to correct the “mistakes” of Liz Truss’ disastrous 49-day tenure.
“I will certainly unite our country, Britain — not with words, but with several action,” the former finance minister pledged, while also pledging unwavering support for Ukraine and warning of “difficult” budget choices ahead.
Sunak said Truss’s disastrous budget was motivated by a well-intended desire to jump-start growth, but its tax-cutting measures were “mistakes nonetheless.”
“And I was elected leader of my party and prime minister in part to fix them,” he explained.
“And that work will begin right away; I will put economic stability and confidence at the forefront of this government’s agenda.”
Shortly before leaving Downing Street, Truss wished Sunak “every success” and said she was “more convinced certainly than ever” that Britain needed to be “bold” in confronting all the challenges it faced.
Sunak was elected leader of the one of the ruling Conservatives on Monday, defeating the rival contender named Penny Mordaunt, who did not receive enough nominations from Tory MPs.
It had devolved into a two-way fight after Johnson abruptly ended his comeback attempt late Sunday after failing to persuade Sunak to share power.
Johnson, who had blamed his ex-minister for his downfall in July, broke his silence and offered Sunak his “full and wholehearted support.”
Sunak, who is a Hindu, is the first British-Indian prime minister and, at 42 years old, the youngest leader in over two centuries.
US Vice President Joe Biden praised the choice and promised to contact Sunak soon.
Sunak was sworn in during a morning audience with Charles, who appointed him as his first prime minister since ascending to the new throne after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died.
– ‘Unite or perish’ –
Sunak’s appointment was lauded by Britain’s Conservative-leaning media. “The force is with you, Rishi,” The Sun’s headline read, referring to Sunak’s fondness for “Star Wars” films. The Daily Mail referred to it as “a new dawn for Britain.”
Sunak’s warning to Conservative MPs to “unite or die” was highlighted by the left-wing Guardian. Truss was the shortest-serving premier in history, having left office after a disastrous tax-cutting budget caused economic and political turmoil.
Last Thursday, the 47-year-old announced her resignation, admitting she could not fulfill her mandate from Conservative members, who had chosen her over Sunak to replace Johnson in the summer.
Sunak has now staged a stunning political comeback and vowed to do most of the same for Britain as it faces decades of high inflation, rising borrowing costs, and an impending recession.
He also faces the difficult most task of uniting a divided and infighting party. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith stated that MPs now understand the “existential threat” that the Conservatives face and that they must unite or then accept being “out of power for a long time.”
– ‘Tough decisions –
Sunak began appointing his top team after delivering the now-familiar new leader’s speech, before again facing his first most session of “Prime Minister’s Questions” in the parliament on the day Wednesday.
Truss appointed finance minister Jeremy Hunt just 11 days ago in an attempt to save her premiership, and he may stay on after the markets have stabilized.
On Sunday, he endorsed Sunak, writing in the Telegraph that he was a leader ” who is willing to make the choices required for our long-term prosperity.”
Hunt has warned that “difficult decisions” over public spending loom after reversing almost all of Truss’s various tax cuts.
On October 31, whoever is in charge of the Treasury will unveil the government’s much-anticipated fiscal plans.
Sunak must also decide whether to appoint senior most MPs who did not support him, such as Mordaunt, to his cabinet in an attempt to unite his fractured party.
Former boss called Johnson, who was driven out in July in part due to Sunak’s resignation, is unlikely to get a seat at the table. On Sunday, he announced that he would not pursue his audacious leadership bid.
– ‘There is no mandate.’ –
Sunak, a wealthy descendant of Indian and East African immigrants, is also facing different calls for a general most election after becoming the latest leader to be elected without a direct mandate from the electorate.
According to Ipsos polling, 62 percent of voters then want a vote by the end of the year.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeted, “He has no mandate, no answers, and no ideas.”
The Liberal Democrats’ leader, Ed Davey, said the appointment of the first British-Asian leader would “inspire” young people, but he also said it was time for a general election.
“Given the Conservatives’ trashing of the economy… I guess it’s not surprising that they’re scared of the British public,” he said on Times Radio.
How did Rishi Sunak become Britain’s third Prime Minister?
Rishi Sunak was sworn in as Britain’s third prime minister in two months on Tuesday, tasked with mostly taming an all economic crisis that has left the country’s finances in jeopardy and millions of Britons unable to pay their food and energy bills.
Sunak, the United Kingdom’s first most black leader, met with King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace, where the new monarch formally asked the leader of the country’s ruling party to form a government, as is customary. Sunak was elected Conservative Party leader on Monday, and his colleagues see him as someone who can stabilize an economy on the verge of recession and stem the party’s own plummeting popularity following Liz Truss’s brief, disastrous tenure.
Her unfunded tax cuts frightened financial markets, drove the pound to new record lows, and then forced the Bank of England to intervene, weakening Britain’s fragile or down economy and then obliterating her authority within her party.
Sunak, the youngest British prime minister in more than 200 years, acknowledged the magnitude of his task, as well as the skepticism of a British public concerned about the state of the economy and tired of a Conservative Party soap opera that has consumed two prime ministers in as many months.
“I fully understand how difficult things are,” Sunak said outside the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing St. “I also understand that I have work to do to rebuild trust after everything that has happened.” I can only say most probably that I am not afraid.”
Sunak immediately began filling positions in his administration, aiming to stamp his mark on the government while bringing in members from various wings of the Conservative Party. His first move was to fire a dozen members of Truss’ Cabinet.
He intends to assemble a Cabinet whose competence will erase memories of the previous months’ blunders and U-turns. However, the Conservative Party’s divisions over immigration, European relations, and other major issues remain deep. The Allies of Truss and then her scandal-plagued predecessor, called Boris Johnson, who have been demoted or removed from government, can now raise complaints from the back benches of Parliament.
Sunak gained public favor during his tenure as Treasury Secretary by providing billions of dollars in assistance to shuttered businesses and laid-off workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, in order to control inflation and then government debt, he will now then have to oversee the different tax increases and public spending cuts.
Sunak attempted to draw a deep line under the chaos that engulfed Truss and Johnson, acknowledging “difficult decisions to come.” He promised that his administration would “exercise integrity, professionalism, and accountability at every level.”
Sunak’s opponents already portray him as disconnected from ordinary people’s concerns due to his privileged private-school background, previous career as then a hedge fund manager, and vast wealth.
Sunak “comes into office not as a particularly most popular prime minister, but with a reputation for some resemblance of economic competence,” according to Alan Wager, research associate at the U.K. think tank. in a Transforming Europe “The issue will be that he is perceived as not being on the side of the people.” He’s widely regarded as being out of touch.”
Sunak’s fortune is largely derived from his wife, then Akshata Murty, whose father is the billionaire founder of the so called Indian IT firm Infosys. According to the genre of Sunday Times Rich List, the couple is worth $826 million.
Murty did not again pay British tax on her overseas initial income, it was revealed in April. The practice was legal, but Murty quickly agreed to put an end to it because it looked very bad at a time when the several millions of Britons were struggling to make ends meet.
In addition to assembling a Cabinet, Sunak must prepare a budget statement outlining how the government intends to fill a fiscal void caused by soaring inflation and then a sluggish economy, and exacerbated by Truss’ mistakes.
The statement, which is expected to include tax increases and spending cuts, is currently scheduled to be delivered in Parliament on Monday by Treasury Secretary Jeremy Hunt — assuming Sunak retains his position.
Truss left the prime ministership seven weeks to the day after then making a defiant or conclusive public statement outside 10 Downing Street. She resigned on Thursday, admitting that she was unable to deliver on her economic plans.
In her final remarks, Truss defended her low-tax economic vision and her brief tenure in office, despite the market chaos caused by her in the month Sept- 23 budget package. “I am morever convinced than ever that we must be courageous and confront to all the problems we face,” she said, before wishing to Sunak success as “our country Britain continues to battle through a storm.”
Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, his two opponents, were unable to muster enough support from Conservative lawmakers. They also gave in to Sunak, making him Prime Minister by default.
Many Tory members blame Sunak for Johnson’s demise after he resigned as Treasury Secretary. Because of the political upheaval, the Labor Party has called for general elections. Sunak, however, stated today that this will not be the case. Sunak may present himself as a financial savior. However, he was in charge of the British economy at the start of the recent economic downturn.
Angela Rayner is the deputy leader of the Labor Party. Sunak’s personal wealth irritates many people during a period of severe hardship for millions of Britons.
Sunak’s wife, who was caught up in a tax evasion scandal last spring, is widely thought to be wealthier than the king. Sunak oversaw programs like Eat Out to Help Out to assist businesses suffering during the pandemic. But his economic clout will be put to the new test as he ascends to Number 10.
The most important aspect of Rishi Sunak’s appointment from an international standpoint is that, after more than seven weeks of bizarre volatility, Britain will be perceived as a stable nation once again. His predecessor’s incompetence, Liz Truss, was extremely damaging to the British economy. Britain was compared to the country Greece and Italy at the height of their financial difficulties at times.
As a result, Rishi Sunak’s primary goal is to restore trust in the brand Britain, in both its economy and its overall reputation. Although the opposition is disappointed that there will be no general election, there is recognition that there is now an adult in the Number 10 Downing Street.
Those sentiments were shared by those strolling through the autumn dusk.
Sunak’s rise comes just weeks after he was defeated by Truss in a deep Conservative election to then replace or takeover the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. All Party members preferred her tax-cutting advocacy over his warnings about the need to control inflation.
Sunak was elected Conservative Party leader on Monday after becoming the only candidate to receive 100 nominations from fellow lawmakers. Sunak also defeated rival Penny Mordaunt, then who may get into a job in his administration, and ousted Johnson, who returned from the Caribbean vacation to the rally support for a comeback bid.
Sunak ally Conservative lawmaker Victoria Atkins said the party would “settle down” under his leadership.
“We all recognize that we must now rally behind Rishi — and, to be fair, the party has done just that,” she told LBC radio.
Trevor Noah claims that his comments about UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were misconstrued.
Trevor Noah claims that his remarks that “some people” oppose Rishi Sunak’s appointment as UK Prime Minister because of his race are correct.
Several members of society were offended by Noah’s comments on The Daily Show, most notably commentator Piers Morgan.
According to Noah, Sunak’s appointment sparked a backlash based on his skin color. Sunak was born in the United Kingdom to parents who immigrated from India. Many misinterpreted Noah’s remarks as a blanket indictment of everyone in the UK, failing to understand the “some people” part.
Sunak is the UK’s first Hindu Prime Minister and its first of Asian descent. He is also the youngest person in over 200 years.
In a Daily Show video posted on Twitter, the South African comedian, 38, claimed that people were saying, “Now all the Indians are going to take over Great Britain.”
Morgan was one of the most outspoken critics of Noah’s claim, claiming he was “falsely portraying Britain as a racist country.”
This sparked an argument.
“I wasn’t saying the entire United Kingdom is racist,” Noah insisted. “I was responding to racists who oppose Rishi as Prime Minister because of his race… That’s why I said, ‘Some people.'”
Morgan was not convinced. “No, Trevor… there was no “backlash” in the UK to Rishi Sunak becoming Prime Minister because of his heritage.” You made that up to create a racism narrative that simply did not occur… and we Brits are tired of US media (and dishonest duchesses) portraying us as a bunch of racists.”
Is there a focus on continuity among Sunak’s top cabinet ministers?
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled his new cabinet on Tuesday, with a flurry of announcements featuring mostly familiar faces from previous Conservative Party governments, then again reinforcing his deep down desire for stability during one of Britain’s most volatile political periods.
Mr. Sunak filled the most senior positions with lawmakers who had previously held prominent positions, including a number of cabinet members during his most predecessor Liz Truss’s seven-week tenure. With his first appointment, he signaled his strategy by retaining Jeremy Hunt as the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Notably, then Penny Mordaunt, who has challenged Mr. Sunak for the leadership role before withdrawing moreover two minutes before the deadline on Monday, was not present in key positions, instead being reappointed as House of Commons leader.
Here are some of Mr. Sunak’s major cabinet appointments:
Jeremy Hunt is the main Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. Sunak’s good decision to keep Mr. Hunt in the main post that is Britain’s equivalent to the main finance minister — a big role he had then taken up this month amid an big economic crisis engulfing Ms. Truss’s government — was perhaps the most crucial cabinet appointment.
Mr. Hunt, 55, is regarded as a steady hand in a turbulent party at a turbulent time, a pragmatic based politician who then occupies his party’s middle ground. He served in the cabinet of Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May for nine years, first as culture secretary, overseeing the London Olympics in 2012, then as the main health secretary, and finally as foreign secretary.
Ms. Truss and her first chancellor, called Kwasi Kwarteng, tried hard to push trickle-down economics, but it backfired, shocking financial markets and eventually forcing her out of office. She fired Mr. Kwarteng less than two weeks ago and appointed Mr. Hunt, who then quickly abandoned the tax plan, then again calming markets.
Mr. Hunt has run for the Conservative leadership twice: once in 2019 to replace Mrs. May but came in second to Boris Johnson, and again this summer to replace Mr. Johnson but did not make even it past the first round.
Dominic Raab, The Deputy Prime Minister and The Justice Secretary
Dominic Raab, 48, was named Mr. Sunak’s deputy prime minister and justice secretary, resuming roles he held for a year until last month. Despite having held several senior government positions, Ms. Truss did not appoint him to her brief cabinet.
He was the main foreign secretary at the start of Mr. Johnson’s prime ministership. Mr. Raab had to fill in for Mr. Johnson as Prime Minister in April 2020, then when the Prime Minister was hospitalized with a severe case of Covid-19.
Mr. Raab, a staunch Brexit supporter, had previously served as Mrs. May’s Brexit minister before resigning from her cabinet in dissatisfaction with her negotiations with the European Union. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2010.
Mr. Raab’s father fled the Nazis in 1938 as a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia. Mr. Raab’s remaining paternal grandparents were killed in the Holocaust.
James Cleverly is the Foreign Secretary.
Despite publicly supporting Mr. Johnson over Mr. Sunak in the recent Conservative Party leadership election, James Cleverly was reappointed as foreign secretary, one of the most important roles in the cabinet. Mr. Cleverly continued to express his support until late Sunday afternoon, hours before Mr. Johnson withdrew his name.
Mr. Cleverly, 53, whose mother immigrated to the United Kingdom from Sierra Leone in West Africa, was a lieutenant colonel in the army reserves and has long advocated for Brexit. He was the education secretary for a brief period this year, and before that he held a number of junior ministerial positions.
Mr. Cleverly was also regarded as a key ally of Ms. Truss, defending her financial missteps by stating that “mistakes happen” but that it was time to move on.
Ben Wallace, Secretary of Defense
Ben Wallace was reappointed as Defense Secretary, a position he has held since Mr. Johnson appointed him in 2019. Mr. Wallace, a former soldier, is regarded as a dependable stalwart, and his role as Minister of Defense has been especially important since the war in Ukraine began this year.
His tough stance against Russia has earned him international acclaim, and he has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, visiting Kyiv late last month to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Mr. Wallace supported Ms. Truss over Mr. Sunak in the leadership election this summer, and despite pressure from fellow Conservatives, he decided not to run for the top job himself, telling The Telegraph in September, “I didn’t want it enough.” He has frequently stated that his commitment to his family comes first.
Suella Braverman is the Home Secretary.
Suella Braverman, who served as home secretary under Ms. Truss before resigning off one day before the former prime minister, has been reappointed.
Ms. Braverman, 42, had supported Mr. Sunak for the position of leader, but her dismissal last week, reportedly for violating security rules, has made her a more contentious choice. Ms. Truss fired her in response to criticism about a government document that Ms. Braverman sent to a lawmaker in Parliament via her personal email. She is a member of the party’s right wing and is staunchly opposed to reducing immigration numbers.
During the Conservative Party conference this year, she stated that it was her “dream” and “obsession” as home secretary to see a flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda take off. The Conservative government has reached an agreement with Rwanda to deport asylum seekers who arrive by boat to the African country before their claim for refugee status is evaluated.
Michael Gove, Leveling Up Secretary
Mr. Sunak appointed Michael Gove, a long-time ally of Mr. Johnson’s, to a post he had recently held: levelling up secretary, in charge of improving conditions in economically disadvantaged areas of the country.
Mr. Gove, along with many other government officials, advised scandal-plagued Mr. Johnson to resign in July. Mr. Johnson fired Mr. Gove, then the leveling up secretary, and announced his resignation the next day.
Mr. Gove’s responsibilities include overseeing local government, planning, and building safety across the United Kingdom. The position is crucial for the Conservatives, who won the last election in part on promises to “level up” failing communities across the country in order to bring them up to the living standards of more prosperous regions, though critics say little progress has been made. Mr. Gove, a staunch Brexit supporter, ran for the Conservative Party leadership in 2016 and 2019.
