“We now need stability, and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together,” Sunak said. Source: Number 10, Flickr.
Rishi Sunak has attained leadership of the Conservative Party and will become the UK’s 57th prime minister, the third in three months.
He is the youngest prime minister in over 200 years and the first practising Hindu leader of the country. The 42-year-old replaces Liz Truss, who recently beat Sunak in the leadership contest, following her resignation 45 days into her tenure.
Sunak paid tribute to her in his first public address saying she “led with dignity and grace through a time of great change and under exceptionally difficult circumstances both at home and abroad”.
He comes into the role at a turbulent time for the UK, and reportedly told Conservative MPs that their party needed to “unite or die”.
“The United Kingdom is a great country. But there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge,” he said.
“We now need stability, and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.
“Because that is the only way we will overcome the challenges we face and build a better, more prosperous future for our children and our grandchildren.
“I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility, and I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people.”
Sunak has not made any public pledges since Truss’s resignation, which has invited criticism. Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said Sunak has “no mandate, no answers and no ideas”.
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. Nobody voted for this.
The public deserve their say on Britain’s future through a General Election. It’s time for a fresh start with Labour.
— Angela Rayner ? (@AngelaRayner) October 24, 2022
The only other candidate was Penny Mordaunt, who conceded prior to the number of nominations for each candidate was going to be announced.
Mordaunt said “Rishi has my full support” in the statement she released.
“We all owe it to the country, to each other and to Rishi to unite and work together for the good of the nation. There is much work to be done.”
Sunak will meet with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday morning where he will be formally appointed as prime minister.
