Rishi Sunak officially became Britain’s 57th prime minister, replacing Liz Truss — the country’s shortest-serving leader of all time.
Sunak is the first Hindu and the first person of color to lead the UK. At the age of 42, he is also the youngest person to take the office in more than 200 years.
“I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda,” Sunak said in his first address as leader in front of 10 Downing Street. Minutes earlier, he met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and formally became the country’s fifth prime minister in six years. “That work begins immediately.” His speech outside No 10 came after he was appointed PM by King Charles.
Sunak warned of “difficult decisions to come” as he became the UK’s second unelected prime minister in seven weeks on Tuesday, promising to “fix” the economic mess which he blamed in part on his predecessor.
“I will unite our country not with words but with actions,” he said. “This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned, and I will earn yours.”
Sunak emerged victorious in a Conservative leadership race after rivals dropped out.
Who is Rishi Sunak?
Rishi Sunak is a former banker and the richest politician in parliament. Sunak was first elected to Parliament in 2015, and he spent two years on the backbenches before becoming a junior minister in Theresa May’s government. Boris Johnson gave Sunak his first major government role when he first appointed him as the chief secretary to the Treasury in 2019. Johnson also promoted Sunak to chancellor in 2020.
British tabloids often call him “Rishi Rich.” The Times of London estimated that Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, were worth more than $800 million, placing them among the 250 wealthiest British people or families. His wife is a fashion designer and the daughter of the billionaire founder of the technology company Infosys.
World leaders congratulate new UK prime minister
United States: U.S. President Biden offered his congratulations to Rishi Sunak. “Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine,” he posted on Twitter.
EU: Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, congratulated Rishi Sunak. “In these testing times for our continent, we count on a strong relationship with the U.K. to defend our common values, in full respect of our agreements,” she wrote on Twitter.
China: China said that it wants to “advance ties with the UK” under Sunak, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. He added: “We hope that we can work with the UK side on the basis of mutual respect and win-win co-operation and advance China-UK relations along the right track.”
Ukraine: Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy tweeted his congratulations and said: “I wish you to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. I’m ready to continue strengthening the Ukraine-UK strategic partnership together!”
India: “As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030,” tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sunak’s appointment has been a big news in India since his parents are of Indian descent while his father-in-law is one of India’s best-known businessmen.
