Rishi Sunak becomes new Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak has become Prime Minister following Liz Truss’ resignation last week and a brief meeting with King Charles III this morning (25th October).

Sunak, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer throughout the Covid-19 pandemic before stepping down in the summer, was the only candidate left standing with sufficient nominations in the Conservative leadership election, allow him to be named Prime Minister without a vote of MPs or party members. He had previously lost the vote of Conservative Party members which elected Liz Truss to lead the Conservatives in government.

After a turbulent seven weeks in office that make her the UK’s shortest serving premier, Liz Truss met with King Charles III this morning to resign her position, with Rishi Sunak accepting the invitation to form a government in her stead shortly after. The MP for Richmond, North Yorkshire also makes history as the UK’s first British Asian and Hindu Prime Minister.

After meeting with the King, Rishi Sunak gave a short speech outside Number 10 Downing Street where he remarked that “mistakes were made” by his predecessor. He also described the need to act on the “profound economic crisis” facing the country, referencing the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Treasury, as well as how the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to impact food and fuel prices.

Sunak also paid tribute to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and referenced the electoral success of his manifesto promises in 2019, particularly pledging a stronger NHS, environmental protection and levelling up, indicating he has ruled out calling an early general election despite calls from opposition politicians to do so. Boris Johnson has also tweeted his support for his former Chancellor, urging the Conservative Party to unite behind Sunak.

The new Prime Minister is expected to begin making appointments to his Cabinet later today, with significant speculation over who will secure top jobs, with the BBC’s Vicki Young remarking that his closest political allies themselves are unaware of how his top team will look.

In her final speech outside Downing Street, Liz Truss wished “Rishi Sunak every success, for the good of our country,” and thanked her family for their support during her time in office, as well as her security staff.