Sunak takes over crisis-hit economy as UK’s new prime minister | Rishi Sunak News

Conservative Rishi Sunak has become the United Kingdom’s third prime minister this year, pledging to mend the “mistakes” of his predecessor Liz Truss’s disastrous 45-day tenure.

Sunak addressed the nation on Tuesday outside 10 Downing Street after his formal appointment by King Charles III, capping the latest extraordinary twist in UK politics following Boris Johnson’s resignation in July.

“I will unite our country – not with words, but with action,” the former finance minister said, also promising unstinting support for Ukraine even while warning of “difficult” budget choices ahead.

Sunak said a controversial budget that felled Truss was motivated by a well-intentioned desire to kick-start growth, but its tax-cutting measures were “mistakes nonetheless”.

“And I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister in part to fix them,” he said. “And that work begins immediately. I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda.”

Departing Downing Street, Truss wished Sunak “every success”, saying she remained “more convinced than ever” that the UK needed to be “bold” in confronting the challenges it faced.

Sunak became the ruling Conservative Party’s new leader on Monday after triumphing over rival contender Penny Mordaunt, who failed to secure enough nominations from Conservative MPs.

Johnson’s withdrawal

It had become a two-way fight after Johnson dramatically aborted a comeback attempt on Sunday evening, having failed to persuade Sunak to share power.

Breaking his silence, Johnson offered his “full and wholehearted support” to Sunak, despite having blamed his former minister for toppling him in July.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from Downing Street, said Sunak wants unity, with people having their say.

As Sunak takes the top job, Simmons also said: “There’s no love lost between him and Boris Johnson, and there’s no doubt about that.”

He added: “[Boris] came here with the expectation that he would be riding back into Downing Street. He really thought he had a popular position in London which he didn’t have.”

But, his influence over party members and the public cannot be disregarded, Simmons said.

“There you have an area that could cause a future problem because Johnson is still well-regarded by quite a few people in the party.”

Sunak, a 42-year-old Hindu, is the country’s first non-white prime minister and the youngest leader in more than 200 years.

US President Joe Biden called the choice “groundbreaking” and promised to reach out to Sunak shortly.

Truss left office as the shortest-serving premier in history, after a failure tax-slashing budget sparked economic and political turmoil.

The 47-year-old announced her resignation last Thursday, admitting she could not deliver her mandate from Conservative members, who had chosen her over Sunak last summer to replace Johnson.

Newly-elected Sunak now faces decades-high inflation, surging borrowing costs and imminent recession.

He also has to deal with the uphill task of uniting a party riven with divisions and infighting.

Calls for early polls

After delivering the new leader’s speech, the new prime minister is set to start appointing his top team before facing his first session of “Prime Minister’s Questions” in Parliament on Wednesday.

Sunak, a wealthy descendant of immigrants from India and East Africa, is also facing calls for a general election after becoming the latest leader who lacks a direct mandate from the electorate.

Pollster Ipsos said on Monday that 62 percent of voters want a vote by the end of the year.

“The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak without him saying a word about what he would do as PM. He has no mandate, no answers and no ideas,” Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner tweeted, using an alternative term to address Conservatives.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, said young people would be “inspired” by the appointment of the first British-Asian leader, but also insisted it was time for a general election.

“Given the Conservatives have trashed the economy … I guess one’s not surprised that they’re scared of the British public,” he told Times Radio.