Rishi Sunak – who officially becomes the next prime minister of the United Kingdom on Tuesday – has said that re-uniting his party and the country would be his “utmost priority” upon assuming power.
Sunak has said that the nation is facing a “profound economic challenge” which it must face together.
The former chancellor was confirmed as winner of the latest Conservative leadership contest on Monday after Boris Johnson pulled out of the race and remaining rival Penny Mordaunt failed to muster enough support from Tory MPs.
Mordaunt pulled out moments before the result was announced, claiming that her “full support” was behind Sunak and it had been clear that her colleagues felt “we need certainty today”.
The contest took place after Liz Truss resigned as PM after just 45 days of a turbulent spell in Number 10.
Her successor becomes the first British Asian prime minister of the UK and at 42 years of age is the youngest to take on the role in over 200 years.
Truss wished Sunak well and talked up the importance of cutting taxes in the longer term as she delivered her farewell speech on Tuesday morning, adding that she was “more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the challenges we face”.
Truss has visited the sovereign, King Charles III, to formally tender her resignation. Sunak is meeting with the King and the time of writing and being invited to form a government as power is transferred.
Sunak has dismissed calls from the opposition to call an early general election according to Tory MP Simon Hoare and is hopeful that the Conservatives can win the next election by ending infighting and rallying together. The next national poll is not scheduled to take place until January 2025.
The new PM has also promised to serve the nation with “integrity” and called for “stability and unity” within the Conservative party and the country.
He also thanked his predecessor for having worked through “exceptionally difficult circumstances”.
Sunak’s victory is significant not only on account of his ethnicity, but also given the speed of his rise to power. He has secured the top job just seven years after first being elected as an MP, after winning his seat in the Richmond constituency of North Yorkshire in the 2015 general election.
As chancellor under Boris Johnson, he helped guide the UK through the Covid-19 pandemic and also instigated the chain of events that led to Johnson’s removal after resigning as chancellor in the wake of a string of scandals, including Partygate.
However, Sunak has drawn controversy over his own role in the PArtygate scandal which saw him receive a fixed penalty notice from the police, while the tax affairs of his wife Akshata Murty instigated a row over non dom tax status.
Photo by HM Treasury on Wikimedia Commons
