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The new British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, pledged to lead the country out of the economic crisis and rebuild the public’s trust in its politics. Sunak won the leadership race, replacing Liz Truss, who served 44 days in office.
In remarks outside the Downing Street residence Tuesday, Sunak pledged to lead the country out of the economic crisis that it is facing, praising his predecessor’s ambition while acknowledging that there are flaws. Sunak also said he plans to unite the country and is expected to appoint cabinet members from all factions of the party to put an end to internal conflict and abrupt policy changes.
“I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister, in part to fix them,” said Sunak. “I understand too, that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened. All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands.”
Sunak reappointed Jeremy Hunt as finance minister in an effort to calm down financial markets following the backlash to the economic plan proposed by Truss. Dominic Raab was also reappointed as deputy prime minister, James Cleverly as foreign minister, and Ben Wallace as defense minister. Penny Mordaunt also retained her post as the leader of the House of Commons.
Sunak is expected to cut public spending and review all spending on politically sensitive areas such as health, education, defense, welfare, and pensions. However, as the Conservative Party’s support continues to drop, Sunak will face growing calls for an election should he scrap out many of the campaign promises made by the party that won them the election in 2019.
Sunak spoke on the phone with US President Joe Biden, with both leaders reaffirming relations Washington has with the United Kingdom, according to a statement from the White House.
Biden and Sunak also agreed on the importance of continuously supporting Ukraine in the war, as well as the importance of working together to face the challenges posed by China along with efforts to obtain sustainable and affordable energy resources.
