Former finance minister Rishi Sunak will replace Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative Party, setting him up to be Britain's third prime minister in seven weeks.
The son of Indian immigrants, Sunak, 42, will also make history as the U.K.’s first prime minister of color and the youngest person to take the office in modern history.
Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) October 24, 2022
You have my full support.
Sunak was first elected as an MP in 2015 and spent two years on the backbenches, during which Brexit dominated the political agenda. Sunak supported leaving the EU during the 2016 referendum.
He subsequently became a junior minister in Theresa May’s government. It was Boris Johnson who gave Sunak his first major government role when he first appointed him as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2019, and as the Chancellor in 2020.
Sunak won popularity during the early weeks of the pandemic when he unveiled an extensive support plan for those unable to work during lockdown.
But the “Partygate” scandal that took down Boris Johnson also tarnished his reputation, and he became archrivals with Johnson after quitting his government earlier this year.
Sunak has remained tight-lipped on his policy plan in the last few days, but he was widely seen as the more moderate of the two candidates in the last leadership contest over the summer. Compared to Liz Truss, he took a softer line on matters like Brexit and the economy. (CNN)
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been considering a bid to return to Downing Street but abandoned that idea on Sunday. That left Sunak to face off against House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt, who dropped out Monday after failing to get the support of at least 100 Conservative Members of Parliament needed to advance.
Before Sunak can officially take over, Truss must tender her resignation to King Charles, who then will appoint Sunak.
BREAKING: Rishi Sunak is new UK Prime Minister. He’ll be the first British-Asian PM & first Hindu PM, and at 42, the youngest PM in modern times. I’ve backed @RishiSunak for a long time, think he’s the right guy for the job, and wish him every success. pic.twitter.com/oNfKXlk9R2
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 24, 2022
