UK: Rishi Sunak becomes new Prime Minister

Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak was voted to become the next prime minister of the country, replacing Liz Truss. Sunak is the UK’s third prime minister in a year.

Sunak will become the next British prime minister and leader of the governing Conservative Party following the short leadership race that took place Monday. Aside from being Britain’s third prime minister in a span of fewer than two months, Sunak is also the first person of color to become the country’s prime minister as well as the youngest prime minister to have served in office.

Sunak replaced Truss, who announced her decision to resign last week after 44 days in office, making her the shortest-serving prime minister of the country. King Charles will likely appoint Sunak on Tuesday or Wednesday as the former finance minister, and one of the wealthiest politicians in the country tackles a divided Conservative Party and an economic crisis.

In his remarks in parliament Monday, Sunak said that the Conservative Party faces an “existential crisis” and that they must “unite or die.” Sunak also said the country was facing a “profound economic challenge.”

“We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together,” said Sunak.

Sunak is expected to launch major spending cuts to rebuild the country’s fiscal credibility, plagued by the mistakes made by Truss during her time in office. Sunak will also have to work towards uniting the governing party after some lawmakers accused the former finance minister of treachery when his resignation triggered the downfall of former prime minister Boris Johnson who resigned back in July.

European Council President Charles Michel congratulated Sunak on his victory and said the bloc and the UK must work together to face their shared challenges. This follows comments by European leaders last week, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, who said that the European Union mostly wants a stable and predictable neighbor shortly after Truss resigned.

“Working together is the only way to face common challenges..and bringing stability is key to overcoming them,” tweeted Michel.